Another Life, But The Same Love
by DragonGirl X IslandGirl
Summary: Two sisters move into Domino and find their lives spiralling beyond their control. Who are the sinister cloaked figures patrolling the streets at dusk? Could they be responsible for the chaos within Domino? Seto Kaiba/OC/Yami Yugi and Joey/OC
1. New Girls In Town

**Title: Another Life, But The Same Love**

**Authors: Dragon Girl, Island Girl (reconstructed by Dragon Girl)**

**Rating: T (to be safe right?)**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Yami, Seto Kaiba or Joey, much as we would like to. They are all the property of Konami and Kazuki Takahashi.**

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A moving van pulled up at a drive way at one of the many houses in Domino City. And what else could be in this moving van have other than new people, in a new place, in a country that's completely new to them? Inside the van was a simple family of four: a Mum; Leha Driver, a Dad; Adam Driver, and two sisters; Florence and April Driver. The Driver family had to move from their comfy home in London, much to the devastation of the two sisters, due to Adam Driver's job. It felt like years ago, but was in actual fact only a matter of a month since he received a promotion from a widely known technology company. The main branch of which was in the infamous Domino City.

As a result, the two girls were forced into accelerated learning of the Japanese language from a vigorous tutor. Neither of the girls minded learning the language, but when it came to saying goodbye to their friends a deep remorse flooded their hearts. Would they ever come back?

As soon as the van pulled up at the drive way Leha Driver's car door was the first to open. Leha Driver, your almost everyday Mum; she had clear, sky-blue eyes, shoulder length blonde hair and flawless white skin. She clambered eagerly out of the moving van and stood a few paces away from her new home, she looked over her shoulder and gave her husband a signal that meant: "Let's go."

Adam Driver was a sweet, fun-loving man who avoided violence as much as possible unless the situation called for it; he had iridescent green eyes that shone like dewdrops on a fresh blade of grass, a mop of dark brown hair and a pale complexion, but he was still very handsome. He loved his family and wanted more than anything for them to be happy, safe and loved.

Tearing his eyes from their attractive new house, he smiled down at his daughters, and gently reminded them; "Kids, we're going to start unpacking soon," He paused and beckoned the two dismal-looking teenagers from the van, "get down from there you lazy girls!" He added cheekily before turning back to the house and rummaging in his pocket for a key. The two sisters exchanged gloomy, hopeless expressions. They were still trying to come to terms with moving from London; the one and only home they had ever known and where all their friends, family and pets had been left behind. Here, there was nothing.

They rested for a moment, both absorbed within separate thoughts, pondering their futures in Japan. Always the more pessimistic one, Florence groaned and buried her face in her hands. Why did this have to happen?

April Driver was the first one to break the awkward silence that clung like frost in the air as they sat helplessly in the van.

"We might as well help them, right Florence?" She asked finally, her voice although strained, was still hopeful and her face showed none of the worry she felt in her heart. Florence glanced up, bringing her face out of the safe enclosure of her hands to meet her sister's dark eyes.

April looked absolutely nothing like her parents and nothing like her sister. Why? Because she was adopted, but in all honesty she didn't mind, after all she had a family that loved her and she loved them back; what more could she ask for?

April had soft brown skin, a deer-like set of brown eyes that were framed by thick black lashes and her caring face was surrounded by curls of black wavy hair. Her appearance led people to think that she was timid and shy, but Florence, Adam and Leha knew better; at heart April was a kind soul and cared more than anyone could guess - when she wasn't using her smart mouth. Florence eventually drew herself to her feet, leaning on the wall of the van for support then sent her sister a small, forced smile.

"Alright then, let's get going." She agreed grudgingly, holding a hand out to help the younger sister to her feet.

Florence was the most determined, stubborn girl anyone could have the misfortune to meet - April thought, she was also a fiery-tempered hot-head when she finally lost control of her temper. However, for all her rough edges, Florence was a caring person beneath her tough front. And, April thought, in the end she probably just cared too much.

April sometimes wished she looked more like her sister so she could fit in with the family, but then, she was something unique to them. In appearance, Florence was April's opposite. The older sister had dark blonde hair like her mother, dark, deep green eyes like her father and her mother's snowy white skin.

Grudgingly, the two girl's jumped down from the van into the pouring sunlight and began to help their parents with moving the large boxes from the back of the van and into their new house.

After a few hours, most of the boxes were unpacked apart from the occasional few which had managed to creep into dark corners to be investigated later.

The two girls flopped onto their beds, exhausted.

_Am I really going to enjoy it here? Will our parents adapt to the new language? Will April and I make new friends?_ Florence wondered._ Is April going to be happy here?_

The blonde teenager thought of multiple questions about the family's new home and location as she laid on bed in her new room. It was pleasant and the house was bigger than the one they had inhabited in London.

Florence sighed letting her eyes roam the pale blue painted walls until they reached the small mirror, the dresser beneath and the tiled blue floor. Sure, it was pleasant enough, but would it work out here?

Tired of her musings, Florence dragged herself up off the bed and walked onto the adjoining balcony, taking a deep breath of the fresh Domino City air. Florence glared at all the towering buildings that surrounded her home, they were ugly, _uglier than the ones in London_, she thought.

A loud sigh interrupted her thoughts, and averting her gaze from the grotesque buildings, Florence looked down to find her sister leaning head on the balcony, a wistful expression on her face. Perhaps she was sharing Florence's own feelings of worry and dread.

"You miss home too?" She asked softly as her eyes drifted back to the dull landscape.

April nodded slowly, "Yeah... I miss the clouded skies. It's just too...clear here." She gestured towards the empty blue sky causing Florence to laugh.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get used to it." She refrained from saying that the sky was probably the least of their problems, but she had no intention to ruin her sister's optimism.

"What do _you_ miss?" Florence looked back down at her sister, a vague smile on her face that failed to reach her eyes and achieve sincerity.

Florence paused fo a moment, thinking about her reply. Well, she missed just about everything. But she couldn't say that. "I miss that feeling that just makes you feel safe and secure. The feeling that says 'this is your home'." She answered finally.

April smiled at her sister's answer then laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. That feeling will come back."

For that one moment, the sisters shared a laugh. They had repeated the same thing to one another. They were always there to comfort one another. And through whatever happened, they would have each other.

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Hope you enjoyed that. I reconstructed the chapter so I hope it's an improvement. Please remember that my success in my other stories is entirely due to IslandGirl who managed to get me into writing again, since then it's all been a breeze! Please review guys.

Till later

~ DragonGirl


	2. School

The two girls stared up at the forbidding iron gates that looked less than welcoming. This was their new school, Domino High, neither sister liked the idea of starting a new school. Especially one in Japan. Especially one where they'd have no one except each other.

Florence sighed, remembering her mother's attempt to cheer the two girls earlier that morning. It hadn't worked.

"The sooner you go, the easier it will be for you to get used to the new education system and language." She had tried, only to receive a glare from her older daughter.

Recognizing his daughter's reluctant, rebellious expression, the girls' pacifistic father intervened. "Come on Florence," He laid a hand on her tense shoulder. "Better late than never, and if you think about it we're both in the same position, starting a new job, starting school… it's not so different."

Florence had bitten back the retort that was on the edge of her tongue, but was unable to prevent herself from thinking. _Well, you brought us here. You __**chose**__ to come here…_

She took in a deep, calming breath, exhaled, then began to walk reluctantly towards the school. After a few moments, she turned back. April was rooted, statue-like, to the ground.

Florence sighed and walked back to her sister's side. April continued to look up at the menacing iron gates as if the school were a prison that they would never escape from. Wrapping a reassuring arm around her younger sister's shoulders, Florence sent April a reassuring smile.

"C'mon April, the first day of school isn't always bad. And besides if anyone and I mean _anyone _gives you a hard time or makes you feel uncomfortable I'll beat the pulp out of them." She said sincerely.

April glanced up to meet her sister's serious green eyes. It was a while since she had last seen Florence smile, a reciprocating smile spread across her lips at her sister's words.

"Okay, and if anyone gives you a hard time or makes you feel uncomfortable I'll just smart-mouth them until they cry." She replied, her eyes sparkling.

Florence chuckled. It was funny imagining April talking down some 11th grader until they were speechless. _Mind you, _she thought, _it has been known to happen…_ "Alright, it's a deal then." The blonde lifted her hand and high-fived her younger sister, before sparing a glance down at her watch, face falling slightly. "We'd better get moving."

The two siblings quickly pinpointed reception and dragged their feet as they walked over to collect their timetables. As they passed the various cliques and the occasional lonely student, both girls were aware of the indiscreet gazes scanning the new appearances. Florence felt slightly uncomfortable due to the amount of attention they were attracting. When they passed through a particularly narrow corridor, the students parted either side, their eyes skeptical as they took in the sisters' appearances. Determined that the student's rudeness would not affect either herself or April, Florence returned the glances with a fiery glare, challenging anyone to step out and say something.

A few people looked away, however the majority continued to stare on. Rolling her eyes. Florence muttered 'pathetic' under her breath before ushering her sister towards reception.

Of course, if possible, it was worse for April. She was less confident and unfortunately her skin colour made her all the more distinguishable. Florence felt her sister squirm under the curious glances, even as she attempted to ignore them. _Will these idiots ever give?_ Florence thought in annoyance.

After a few moments, they reached the end of the hallway, and feeling in a foul mood, Florence roughly shoved the door open to reveal a long counter, a few red chairs and a middle-aged woman, who Florence assumed must be the secretary.

Reception had the usual tang of newness mixed with school. The shabby walls were covered in flyers, adverts and the occasional school award underneath which were a pair of moth-bitten red chairs, the stuffing spewing unattrictively from their insides.

"Miss Florence and Miss April Driver, I suppose?" The receptionist asked politely, pulling a sheet of paper out on the desk in front of her and scanning down the list while she waited for an answer.

"That's us." April answer quickly before Florence said something rash. It was evident she was in a bad mood and perhaps unwilling to go through with getting her timetable. Judging by experience, Florence's expression said 'One more thing and I'm going home.'

"Okay, well, welcome to Domino High School," The receptionist said in what might have been a welcoming voice if she hadn't had to say that so many times a week. "Hope you have a great day, here are your timetables. If you need anything, just come here and they'll be someone to help you."

The receptionist reached beneath the desk and produced a pair of timetables which she handed to April.

April nudged her glowering sister, jolting her out of her reverie and handing her sister her timetable. "Right. Thanks. I'm sure we'll be fine." Florence finally said before marching towards the door. April grabbed her sister's arm, spinning her around comically before sweat-dropping at the ferocious expression on her sibling's face.

"Actually, there is one other thing." The secretary looked up from her papers and barely concealed a smile as April dragged her reluctant, older sister back to the desk. "Where are we heading?"

"Up the first set of stairs, turn right, and it's right next to the door with the sign '1-A', follow along and you'll find your homeroom." She replied briskly then watched as the older sister swept out the room, the younger one briefly thanking her before following her sibling.

"Florence-" April began, but was interrupted by her sister as she examined her new timetable.

"After homeroom we have...maths...great." Florence rolled her eyes in dread. Sure, she always achieved above average grades, but it didn't stop her from hating maths.

" -Florence," April began again. "I'm in a different homeroom class."

Silence. A few seconds of shocked silence, an almost visible tension in the air as the girls looked at one another uncomprehendingly.

"Oh...right. What's your homeroom then?" Florence asked, sounding indifferent, but April knew better, she was just wearing a mask so her younger sister wouldn't feel affected.

"Room 2-B. We're only one door apart so we should be fine. I'll come over to your classroom for lunch...I mean, if you want me to that is."

Florence looked puzzled for a moment. "Wait, can't we just meet in the cafeteria for lunch?" She asked, a frown creasing her forehead as she brushed a stray strand of blond hair from her eyes.

"No, we have different eating times look, I only get five minutes with you then your classes start." April waved her timetable past her sister's eyes, fast enough for Florence to see the time differences. "And you don't really move from one room to another; teachers usually come to the classroom instead of the students switching classes." She added glumly, carefully tucking her timetable back in her pocket. In all honestly, she just wanted to tear it up. They weren't supposed to be separated. This wasn't meant to happen.

Florence looked admiringly at her younger sister. Every time they moved to a new place or school, April always did the honors of looking it up to make it a bit easier to survive the first few days.

"Research again?"

April nodded, confirming Florence's suspicions. "Yep, what else could you expect?" She smiled and the older sister grimaced in return. "We'd better get going to class. See you later, okay?"

"Okay," Florence sighed reluctantly. "See you then and… take care." She momentarily laid a hand on her younger sister's shoulder, feeling protective of the shy girl.

"You too." April quickly hugged her sister then opened the door to her homeroom, sending a last lingering glance at her grave sibling before the door slammed shut behind her.

**Room A-12:**

Florence stepped into the room and immediately she sensed people staring at her. Again. _Why can't they just stop that?! Honestly, have they nothing better to do? _She thought madly as she made her way to the front of the room. Too bad that the door was at the back. She felt the eyes of everyone in the room fixed on her back and too-short skirt as she strode to the front desk.

The teacher sat casually at her desk, riffling through some papers. One of the students called out 'new girl' but stopped talking by the time Florence had swept around to see who it was.

Hearing the call, the teacher slowly rose to her feet and moved to greet the English girl, fixing a welcoming smile on her face. A collection of whispers spread like flying autumn leaves through the classroom but were cut short as the teacher cleared her throat. Immediately the students turned to look at her, a few continued to gaze unashamedly at the new student.

_Well. _She thought. _As if they haven't got something to stare at! _A fair point considering the circumstances. The majority of the kids seated in the class, lounging back on their chairs, had bizarre hairstyles, one in particular caught Florence's eye: a large spiky rainbow attached to the head of a shrimp of a boy.

Standing next to Florence, the teacher cleared her throat once more to reestablish her authority. "Class," She began, her voice clear and sharp. "We have a new student joining us. Please behave and be nice to our new student - Miss Florence Driver." She smiled at the unsmiling Florence. "Dear, why don't you come up here and tell the class a little about yourself?"

Resisting the temptation to tell the teacher exactly where she could stuff her suggestion, Florence fixed a fierce glare which obviously said 'I take nonsense from no one' and brushed the hair from her face, flicking the blond strands over her shoulder before beginning.

"My name is Florence Driver. I just moved here with my family from the United Kingdom. I like to duel, I'm fluent in several languages and that's it." _Seriously, what sort of dumb idea is it to make a student stand up in front of the class and embarrass themselves?_ Florence thought, involuntarily diverting her eyes from the teacher's silly expression only to meet the eyes of a tall brunet who watched her from the back of the classroom. His eyes were cold, blue and impenetrable, his expression was stern and calculating as he disinterestedly listened to the girl's introduction before his cerulean eyes flicked back to the laptop in front of him on the desk.

For a moment, Florence wondered why, out of all the seats in class, the one next to the admittedly, rather dashing, brunet was vacant, as if for some inexplicable reason no one wanted to sit there.

_Looks like that's about to change._ Florence thought sardonically as she predicted the teacher's next action.

As if on cue, the teacher stepped forwards. "Well, why don't you take a seat by Mr Kaiba?" The brunet twitched involuntarily. Apparently, although he appeared absorbed in his computer, he was still listening to the conversation. "Mr Kaiba, stand up so Florence knows who you are and where to sit." The teacher ordered in a condescending tone.

Kaiba glared up at the teacher with an icy expression that evidently said. _There's no way. _The teacher quavered for a moment under the teen's withering expression, then turned back to her desk as his cold gaze briefly passed over Florence before returning to his laptop's monitor and his fingers resumed their tapping.

Left alone in the middle of the room, Florence reluctantly made her way to the boy's desk, aware of his disgust of having her sit next to him. Ignoring his rude behaviour Florence realized, cringing, that she was going to have to bear this arrogant teen for the majority of her classes.

Boldly pulling out the seat next to the antisocial teen, Florence sat down then drew her chair in, ignoring the brunet's disapproving glare as she let out a small 'hello' to the short, tri-coloured hair boy who was staring wide-eyed at her. The blonde resisted the temptation to laugh as he jumped before reciprocating with a cute smile and lifting a finger to his lips as the teacher began to speak once more. As he lifted his hand, Florence's eyes were caught by a large, triangular pendant which hung heavily around the boy's neck. It looked ridiculously large in comparison to his size and a large golden eye adorned the front of the strange pyramid. It was somehow familiar… but why…?

"Now that's taken care of…" The teacher's voice broke through her thoughts and Florence turned away, directing her attention to the front of the class as the teacher gave a long lecture about a variety of mathematical theorems and problems. Most of which Florence already knew. Rolling her eyes in boredom, Florence failed to notice the occasional, inquiring glances she received from the arrogant brunet who anyone could mistake for being heavily absorbed in his work.

_Why does she seem so familiar?_ Kaiba thought to himself as his fingers continued to fly steadily over the keys. _When she came in the room...it felt like I'd met her before..._ He shook his head. _But that's impossible…_

_**Please review and tell us what you think. Another reconstructed chapter!**_

_**~ DragonGirl.**_


	3. Hidden

It was strange. Florence thought as she looked unseeing at the blackboard. She wasn't paying attention. She knew all the material anyway.

But there was an undeniably odd feeling that Florence couldn't place. When she looked at the small, tri-coloured hair boy who had smiled at her earlier, she sensed something hidden. Inexplicable. She didn't understand. She sometimes had weird vibes, but this was on a different level. She'd not even _met _these people before.

Running a hand through her hair in exasperation, Florence jumped several centimetres off her seat as the lunch bell suddenly rang, breaking through her thoughts. Glad to be salvaged from the boring confines of mathematics, the teen hastily packed her equipment away in her bag, feeling a cold glare boring disapprovingly into the back of her head.

Finally, straightening up, Florence looked directly into the brunet's narrowed eyes. "Is there a problem Mr …Kaiba, wasn't it?" She asked, laying her hands on her hips. The guy had the cheek to ignore her the entire lesson and was now looking down skeptically at her. What was she supposed to have done wrong?

Kaiba's cerulean gaze met hers with enough intensity to send any lesser person cowering. However, Florence met his glare with one of equal ferocity. Blue met green in a silent battle of wills.

After a few minutes that felt more like hours, Florence looked away, bored of the exchange. As the girl did, she could have sworn she had seen a trace of a smirk on his arrogant features.

"Hm." He said, not bothering to dignify her question with a response as he swept from the room, briefcase and laptop in hand.

For the next few minutes, Florence simply sat, resting her chin on clasped hands, watching the door with a glazed expression. April wasn't due out for a while yet, in addition the teen hadn't had chance to make friends with anyone due to the fact she had been sitting next to the most antisocial person in the entire northern hemisphere for the duration of the lesson.

_Just my luck._ She thought glumly.

Suddenly a hand entered Florence's vision and jolting out of her reverie, the teen looked up to meet a pair of sparkling violet eyes. The boy was the tri-coloured hair kid who had smiled at her earlier. Sending her a charming smile, he pulled up a chair and sat on the opposite side of Florence's desk.

"Hi?" Florence asked tentatively, unsure how to react to this sudden intrusion upon her privacy.

"Hi! I'm Yugi. You're new. So what do you think of the school so far?" He blurted out all at once. Florence blinked, trying to understand everything he said.

"Hey Yugi. I'm Florence, but I guess you know that. Yep, I'm new and it's alright but I'm not so sure about Mr. Antisocial next to me…" Florence brushed her bangs from her face as Yugi laughed.

"That's just Kaiba." He said simply, then gave her a cheeky wink. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"God, I hope so."

"Hey Florence…" Yugi began, a light dusting of pink tingeing his cheeks.

"Yes Yugi?" Florence prompted, smiling at the small boy's embarrassment. To be honest, she was amazed he was in her class… he was so small! Anyone would think he was at least a year below. _Then again, looks can be deceiving. _The blonde reminded herself with a hint of irony.

"I don't s'pose you'd like to come have lunch with me and my friends?" Yugi asked, the pink tinge blossoming into a crimson blush. Cute.

"I'd like to Yugi, but I'm sorry. I can't come today cause I'm waiting for my sister." Florence explained, feeling guilty at the disappointed expression on little Yugi's face.

"You have a sister? What's her name?" Yugi asked friendlily, quickly dispelling the disappointment and replacing it with interest.

"Her name's April, but she was put in a different class." Florence paused for a moment to rub her aching forehead then looked back up to meet Yugi's concerned purple eyes.

"Oh. That sucks." He said sympathetically, then shifted in his seat. Figuring he was hungry, Florence smiled gently at him.

"Go have lunch Yugi. I'll come tomorrow. If you still want me that is." Florence volunteered.

The spiky-haired boy grinned widely, his purple eyes sparkling once again. "Cool." He lifted his hand and gave the girl a thumbs up before carefully replacing his chair and walking out the classroom, leaving Florence alone with a few other kids making idle conversation.

**Meanwhile:**

April smiled and waved goodbye to her classmates. Perhaps this school wasn't so bad after all. Once the classroom door slammed shut behind her, the teen sighed, exhausted. As if starting a new school wasn't enough, the teachers had already assigned several essays and various other homework papers. Talk about unfair.

Subconsciously fiddling with her short school skirt, April began to make her way towards her sister's homeroom, as she had promised. Just as she turned towards the classroom, a blue-uniformed blur rocketed around the corner and knocked the girl to the ground.

Another chapter! Enjoy and review! XD (Reconstructed btw)

~ DragonGirl


	4. Bump!

April landed on her backside, blushing at her awkward postion she glanced up to meet a pair of concerned light brown eyes...Well, in April's opinion they were light brown eyes. As she turned around to say sorry to the blur-boy she had crashed into, the short girl barely registered the strange glance her gave her. "Sorry I wasn't really watching where I was going." The brunette apologized, finding a hand extended, she quickly took it and the blonde boy helped the girl to her feet, a slight red tinge visible on his cheeks.

Still slightly dazed, all the boy could come up with was. "Yeah… okay." For a moment, they held one another's gaze. Dark brown eyes met light chocolate.

The moment was broken as suddenly, another tall, dark haired boy appeared. His brown hair was gelled into a sharp point giving him an almost comical appearance. Spinning his friend around, the dark-haired boy tugged the blonde's arm.

"Hey, c'mon Joey. I'm _starving_ over here!" He moaned, barely registering the girl in front of Joey. Reluctantly dragging his eyes away from the girl, the boy took a moment to understand what his friend had said then after a moment his face lit up.

"Food!" He shouted, delighted. "Yeah…just comin' Tristan!" With that the two boys dashed off to get some food.

April turned back to her sister's classroom, taking care to not bump into any more hungry, hyperactive boys. Quietly stepping into the room and feeling very self-conscious, April's heart rose as she saw her sister sitting at her desk, hands supporting her chin as she gazed peacefully out of the window, entranced by some imaginary world which could only be seen by her. After a few moments of watching her sister daydream, April gently nudged Florence's shoulder, causing the older sibling to turn around, her face bursting into a grin as she noticed her younger sibling.

For a moment, Florence spaced out before bursting into a relieved grin. "Hey April," She greeted, rising to her feet and lightly touching her sister's arm. "Want to get some lunch now? Then you can tell me how your day's been so far."

April smiled gladly at her sister. "Thought you'd never ask!"

Florence quickly finished her sandwich. She only had a few minutes before her next class whereas April had another half hour. As she brushed the breadcrumbs off her clothes, Florence idly wondered whether she should mention the strange vibes she had been feeling all day. The feeling that she knew people she had never met.

Florence glanced around. Not now. Someone might hear, and then they'd be sure to think the two girls were not only English, but English and crazy!

Listening to April's tale of the blue-blur-boy, Florence smiled. "You're something else, you know that? How many people bump into a guy they like on their very first day of school?"

April blushed tomato-red. "I didn't do it on _purpose_!" She protested making Florence smirk even wider. "I can't help being clumsy. I mean, remember when we were younger and I ran into every single wall in the house and managed to trip over any sort of smooth surface and slip on almost every type of floor imaginable? Now I only trip over _smooth_ surfaces, thank you very much!" April defended.

Florence smiled at her sister and nodded, trying her best not to laugh at April's history of clumsiness -- which she did not do particularly well as she burst into giggles.

A matter of seconds later and the bell had run and Florence had to head back to class. Reluctantly dragging her feet to her homeroom, the teen paused upon noticing a note fixed to the door. Swiftly reading the Japanese figures, she read: 'Class, please note that next week there will be a quick test on the maths we are learning now. Also the school is looking for volunteers for the exam....'

Great. That made things even better.

Pushing the door open a little too hard, Florence tried not to look embarrassed as she entered her Japanese lesson with a bang. Ignoring the curious glances, the teen sent a brief smile to Yugi before taking her place next to Kaiba who didn't even look up to acknowledge her presence. Shrugging her shoulders uncaringly, Florence focused on the teacher's instructions.

Apparently a lot of material was needed for the next few lessons, or weeks, or months. She cringed. Why did school have to be so much bother? Heck, she didn't even _enjoy _it!

After another hour and a half of boring lessons, homework sheets and instruction lists, the bell finally rang indicating the end of the lesson. Florence sighed in relief, sweeping her equipment off the desk and into her schoolbag before leaving the classroom. Most of the other kids had already left, but the teacher had decided to give her the pleasure of an extra five minutes introduction to the material, therefore making her late.

Stretching her aching arms and shaking her hands to get blood circulating in her numb fingers, Florence moved into a hasty stride as she realized her sister must be waiting for her and possibly worrying about where she might be.

Suddenly, Florence drew back to avoid bumping into a tall brunet who was leaning casually against the wall, arms folded and blue eyes unreadable as he watched the teen. It was almost as if he had been waiting for her there. But that wasn't even likely.

Raising her head to meet Kaiba's icy eyes, Florence was surprised to see that they softened for a moment before returning to their usual, cold azure state. No... she must have imagined that. He'd barely spoken to her all day.

For several long seconds, they held one another's gaze. Cold cerulean analyzed sparkling emerald. The sense of familiarity seemed to manifest even deeper as they stood, frozen. Suddenly, Kaiba took a step closer, glaring down at the girl but still maintaining eye-contact.

"Hm." He grunted disapprovingly, brushing past the blonde teen and disappearing past her as suddenly as he had appeared. Florence watched stunned as Kaiba strode away before turning a corner.

_What the hell was that all about? _She asked, frowning, then crossing her eyes she continued on her way to meet her awaiting sister.

Finally, Florence reached the tall iron gates where her sister stood waiting. The older sister's frown deepened as she looked at her sibling. What was she doing?

April gazed up to the skies, staring at the clouds before a single, icy raindrop landed on her forehead, splattering her with water and causing a slight shiver to tingle down her spine. Summer had ended.

Touching her sister gently on the arm, Florence smiled and nodded in answer to a silent question. The trickle of rain steadied into a light veil and recognizing the signs of an inevitable downpour, Florence ushered her sister through the gates and into a jog.

As predicted, the heavens opened to pour down on the innocents beneath. Lifting her bag to protect herself from the brunt of the assault, Florence shouted for April to do the same. Even with the menial protection of their schoolbags, the two girls still arrived soaking, bedraggled and dripping wet on their parents doorstep.

In fact, they were so wet their mother even considered leaving them outside before taking pity on their weary, shining faces and grudgingly letting them in, immediately handing them a towel each.

Wrapping herself in the soft down, April gravitated towards the sofa then sunk into its comforting depths only to be joined by her sister only moments later. Together they sighed then smiled at one another. It had been a long day.

As if on cue, their father arrived back from work, the car's engine growled before spluttering to a halt, then a door slammed before the girl's heard their mother's voice reach them from the hall.

"Not _another _one!" Florence and April giggled. Apparently their father had managed to get soaked by the rain too. What a welcome to autumn!

Moments later, their father joined them in the living room, and seeing the two girl's exhausted expressions, he decided to ask them how life in Japan was working out for them. After all, if it was a disaster, it would be his fault and only his fault.

"So Florence, April, how was your first day?" He asked with a smile.

"Typical first day of school." April decided not to elaborate on how she and her sister had been separated from one another so thoughtlessly. The less inconvenience they could cause their parents, the better. "How was your day, Dad?"

"Tiresome," He replied wearily, "Your mother's been arranging things in the house all day and I've started the paperwork for my new job." He stretched wearily and leaned back into his chest, folding his arms leisurely behind his head.

"Speaking of mum, what's she up to now?" April asked.

"Hopefully not carpeting the hall in towels so that the next time we get wet, she won't have to fetch them." Florence remarked sarcastically. Her Dad smiled absently.

"I think she's probably making dinner." With that, the family lapsed into silence, happy to think over their hectic day in their new life.

Finally it was bedtime after a refreshing meal and Florence yawned, grateful to finally relax onto her soft-downed bed, the covers enveloping her within their embrace. Curling up within their comforting warmth, Florence snatched a book out of the box conveniently placed next to her bed. There was still a lot of unpacking to be done, but for now she needed sleep. Drifting into the world of dreams, an image of eyes kept appearing Florence's mind. Deep, penetrating, calculating, icy blue eyes.

Please review!!! (Reconstructed chapter)

~ DragonGirl


	5. Progress?

Florence woke up to the unbearable repetitive beeping of her alarm clock.

"Argh! Stupid thing!" She cursed, slamming her hand down on the off button rather harder than necessary. Florence groaned as she clambered unwillingly out of her bed rubbing her eyes. Throwing one last longing look at her bed, she slowly made her way to the bathroom when suddenly she was knocked to the ground by an enthusiastic April.

"Hi! Sorry!" April exclaimed, picking herself and her half-awake sister off the floor.

"S'okay." Florence replied groggily, although smiling slightly. "What's with the excess energy?"

"Well, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I'm sort of looking forward to school." April said happily.

"Ok, whoa! You're already dressed – you _must_ be excited!" Florence chuckled, "I'm just about to get dressed too – I'll see you in a minute April!" She said yawning.

_God, this uniform is absolutely ridiculous. _Florence thought. The previous morning she had barely had chance to register what she was putting on, but this morning it horrified her. _It barely covers my thighs!_ In addition, it was pink. Not a very popular choice with her.

Florence cringed as she smoothed down the skirt's crumpled material, attempting to cover the large amount of flesh exposed by the clothing. It wasn't as if she had a bad figure, but she was self concious, and this uniform really wasn't helping. With a last sigh and a lingering glare at the mirror, Florence shook her head before dragging herself downstairs.

"Finally!" April exclaimed cheekily when Florence appeared at the bottom of the staircase, large rings of tiredness circling her eyes, giving her sister the appearance of an owl.

"We were all thinking that you were never going to come out, and that you'd miss school!" remarked Mum.

"Hmm, and I'm not sure that would be such a bad thing." The older sister muttered under her breath so that only her sister would hear.

"Hey!" April said, gently nudging her in the ribs, "Come on – it isn't that bad – plus I've seen a few boys eyeing you up – and nice ones at that." The younger sister teased with a cheeky wink.

"Hmm." Florence pretended to be unfazed, but April's sharp eyes registered the light blush that rose to her face.

"Oh! We've got to go in five minutes!" April exclaimed suddenly, looking down at her watch and jolting up from her chair, "Let's go!" The teen shouted enthusiastically, after woofing down the remains of her breakfast in record time.

"Ok, coming." Florence replied, sighing as she pushed aside her uneaten cereal, and grabbed a banana whilst being pushed out the front door by April.

Florence was privately quite glad that her sister was getting on well at school, but she often found it difficult to show her emotions – this was one of these times.

April looked back at her sister trailing behind her, she frowned, worried. "Florence, what's wrong?" she asked, putting her arm out to stop her sister as they walked down the road.

Florence looked up, breaking out of her thoughts, then smiled slightly as she saw the fiercely concerned look on April's face.

"I'm fine." Florence replied softly, looking down at the ground.

"No you're not – I know you're not!" April demanded, sometimes she could read her sister's mind, as Florence could often read hers. "Florence! You've got to move on! Dwelling on the past isn't going to help." She said, encouragingly holding her sisters hand. "Remember, you helped me, so I'm always going to try and help you back!" April added fiercely, her eyes flashing.

"Thank you April" Florence said smiling once again, as she raised her eyes to meet April's. "C'mon, else we'll be late for school – and we don't want that!"

As April and Florence reached the school gates, a shiny black limo swept past, throwing dust into their faces. It stopped a few meters ahead of them, and none other than Seto Kaiba stepped out, smirking slightly as he saw Florence covered from head to toe in a coating of dust.

"Hmph!" Florence remarked, as she saw his smug expression "Typical boy." Then she hastily brushed off her clothes, sending Kaiba's retreating back a withering glare before turning on her heel and striding over to join her sister.

They walked through the gates together until April spotted her new friends.

Before making a beeline for them, she glanced over her shoulder to see her sister daydreaming again. She couldn't resist the urge to shout: "Hey! Florence! Watch out for lover boy there!" April pointed to Seto Kaiba, as she burst into giggles.

"Huh…" Florence saw where her sister was pointing and scowled "Hey you cheeky little…!" The older sister started to say, but April hid behind her friends, so the blonde sighed, smiling, and started to think up a plan of revenge as she headed towards the main school block.

Florence walked into her classroom with a smile on her face – no one could ever cheer her up as well as her sister could, and they never had.

**Later on at lunch:**

Yugi didn't appear at lunchtime, so when the clock indicated there was only a few minutes until break's finish, Florence decided to give up waiting and instead went to the canteen alone.

"Hey April!" Florence shouted suddenly upon recognizing her distinctive sister within the crowds of bustling people..

"Hi Florence!" April waved her hand, which was only just visible over people's heads.

April pushed her way through the crowd, attempting to reach her sister, although not succeeding.

"Almost there!" She panted, shoving the nearest person gently aside.

"Hey! Ouch!" A boy yelled, April looked up to meet the eyes of the tall blonde from the day before.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I seem to keep bumping into you!" April remarked, blushing bright red.

"What's your…." He started to ask. When Florence appeared, and stood right in-between April and her new friend.

"April! What's up?" Florence asked, suddenly realizing that she had disturbed something "I'm so sorry, who was that?" She asked, looking around for the now absent boy.

"Oh, no-one, just the guy I bump into a lot…" April replied, a little distracted.

"Heh." Florence said, smirking slightly at the expression on her sister's face "I've still got to get you back for earlier!" she remembered conveniently.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" April said, snapping out of her 'trance'. "Oh yeah, Florence, I hope you don't mind, but is it ok if I hang out with my friends at lunch tomorrow? I mean, I'll stay with you if you want…?" April asked gently, laying a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Sure, don't worry about it. I'm glad you're getting on well" Florence flashed a true smile at her sister, meeting her eyes, showing that she really meant what she said.

"What about you…?" April asked her concern showing. 'She hardly knows anyone, and she's not exactly an easy person to get on with, I feel really bad about leaving her… maybe I shouldn't.'

"No April, you enjoy yourself – really" Florence assured her, "And if you don't go with them, I'll force you to!" She added playfully.

"Thanks Florence." April smiled back, feeling a little bit more reassured.

April told Florence about her new friends for most of their lunch, which they spent hastily shoving their lunches down their throats. Within moments of finishing her lunch, the bell rang for Florence's next lesson and she quickly departed from the canteen, leaving her sister alone. Sending one last glance at her sister as she left the canteen, Florence collided with a large, hard object. Instinctively grabbing the nearest thing to her to secure herself from falling, Florence grabbed hold of the 'thing'.

"Oh my – I'm sorry!" Florence apologized breathlessly, smiling nervously as she looked up to meet the gaze of whoever it was.

It happened to be the torso of the tall, icy brunette – Seto Kaiba. He turned abruptly, breaking Florence's grip, his eyes flashing angrily. _Actually, maybe I'm not..._ she changed her mind.

"Hm." he commented, as he frowned down at her. "Move out of my way, and stop wasting my time!" He demanded in a dangerous voice. His cold eyes once again meeting Florence's, who, as a natural reaction glared back with twice the ferocity.

Enough was enough. Not only was he a jerk, but he was also a rude jerk.

"Huh! And what right do you have to boss anyone around – Seto?!" Florence exclaimed loudly.

"My name is Kaiba!" He shouted over his shoulder.

"Whatever!" Florence replied, trying to provoke a reaction from him, not knowing why she did so.

But Seto Kaiba just kept on walking, proving he didn't care at all.

"Stuck-up git!" Florence muttered venomously under her breath, still glaring after him. Suddenly the blonde realized that she was still sprawled inelegantly on the floor, as a large hand entered her vision.

"Here." Said a deep voice that she sounded vaguely familiar. Florence looked up to meet a pair of serious, enigmatic, dark purple eyes and recognized the spiky-haired boy, Yugi. Inclining her head in polite thanks, the teen's dark eyebrows joined in a puzzled frown as she noticed that although the boy was Yugi, he seemed somehow… different. Almost as if it wasn't actually Yugi, but someone who looked like him.

_Don't be so ridiculous!_ She told herself.

Florence felt blood rise to her face as she realized she had been staring at the short - but now, for some reason - taller boy, for far longer than was polite. "Thanks." she smiled, as she gratefully accepted Yugi's extended hand. At that moment, the teacher arrived, and so did a group of kids who gathered around the tri-colour haired boy.

Yugi briefly glanced over and met Florence's eyes once, before smiling back quickly, and turning to his friends.

**After school:**

Florence decided that she wanted to do some exploring, so when she got back home, she quickly changed into a t-shirt and jeans.

"Bye Mum! I'm going out for a little while, see you later!" Florence called as she strode out the door.

"Bye Florence, don't forget to be back before – " The door slammed behind Florence before she got to complete her sentence. Florence's Mum sighed, smiling as she saw her daughter walk down the road, being careful to stick to the pavement.

Florence found a signpost at the end of the road, and decided that she wanted to go to the park – after all, it would be the perfect place to think the day through without worrying.

When she finally reached the playground, she vaulted over the wooden fence to sit on a swing, wrapping her arm around the chain absent-mindedly.

"Hmm." she murmured thoughtfully as she breathed deep the fresh air, relaxing, and closing her eyes.

All of a sudden, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone quietly sitting themselves on the other swing.

Florence opened her eyes abruptly to see who the newcomer was. She saw a short boy with deep, intelligent, grey eyes and raven hair that was just all over the place – making her smile a little.

Both of them just sat there for a while, thinking separate thoughts, swinging gently, and listening to the trees whispering in the wind.

After a time, the young boy stood up, looking at his watch, and walked over to the gate, as he reached it, he suddenly turned around and made eye contact with Florence. He smiled – looking somehow familiar to her, although she couldn't think of whom he reminded her.

"Thank you." He whispered quietly, still grinning.

"No problem". Florence whispered back, and winked. She liked this kid, even though she normally didn't like little kids very much. This one seemed smart, nice, and respectful.

With one last cheeky smirk he skipped out of the playground, and Florence watched until he disappeared around the corner of the street.

Florence stood up and stretched herself, yawning again. 'Well, today wasn't so bad after all' she thought to herself happily.

**Lunchtime, next day:**

Florence looked into space, a little sad that April wasn't with her, but glad she was with her new friends. 'Hmm, shall I get lunch or shan't I?' Florence thought, then she heard the voice of April intrude into her mind: 'Florence – you have to eat! If you don't, you'll get ill – then what would I do?!' Florence smiled as she remembered this, with that, she decided to get herself some lunch. But to her surprise, she found a familiar boy sitting on a seat next to her.

"Hi Florence!" he said, a familiar blush creeping across his face.

"Hello!" Florence replied, remembering how she had promised to have lunch with him a few days previous. _I swear his voice was deeper last time I saw him! How odd!_

"Erm… so I wondered if you'd like to come eat lunch with me today?" Yugi asked, his cute smile spreading across his face as he reached up to scratch his head self-conciously, looking for all the world like an embarrassed, strangely-coloured hedgehog.

"Sure, of course Yugi." Florence accepted, grinning as Yugi neared the colour of a tomato.

They walked together to the canteen, attracting a few vicious stares in the process. Ignoring the bystanders, the two teens quickly found a table and Florence sat down while Yugi moved towards the long lunch queue.

"Would you like a burger Florence?" Yugi suddenly asked, turning back to his new friend.

Florence shuddered slightly – she loathed fast food. "Urgh, no thanks! … Sorry, that came out wrong. No thank you Yugi, I don't really like fast food – especially as I'm vegetarian." She corrected herself quickly, feeling some blood rise to her face.

Yugi just smiled lightly. "That's okay Florence, everyone's entitled to their own opinion." And Florence smiled back in response. He was sweet.

"See you in a minute Florence!" Yugi shouted as he squeezed into the queue and was swept along. Florence pulled her packed-lunch out of her bag whilst she waited.

A few minutes later, Yugi returned with a lush green salad "Better than a hamburger?" He asked playfully, as he picked off a leaf of lettuce and jammed it in his mouth..

"Hmm," said Florence, pretending to think and watching with amusement as Yugi proceeded to eat the salad like a rabbit. "Only slightly!" They both laughed and continued with their meals.

Just then, a group of kids from the same year appeared and plonked themselves down on the chairs surrounding the table.

"Hey Yuge, how's it goin'?" bellowed a tall, messy, blonde-haired boy with chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm okay Joey, this is my new friend – Florence" Yugi introduced her, gesturing politely towards her.

"Hi!" said Joey, a tall girl with shoulder-length brown hair, and a towering boy with his dark hair in a big spike.

"Erm…hi" Florence muttered shyly. She didn't like everyone's attention being fixed on her, so she took a big bite of her sandwich, hoping that they'd go away and leave her in peace.

"Damn!" Florence shouted suddenly, as the entire contents of her ex-sandwich landed on her lap _Argh! This is so embarrassing_ she thought _so much for not being the centre of attention!_

"Bad luck Florence, d'ya want me to go get some tissues?" Joey asked, as he tried not to laugh. Unfortunately for him, Florence noticed his ill-concealed amusement.

"I don't need a dog to fetch anything for me, when I'm perfectly capable of getting it myself!" Florence snapped, annoyed about the fact that she'd just embarrassed herself in front of everyone.

"Hey, it's ok Florence," said the brown-haired girl, laying a hand on Florence's arm. "Calm down. I'm Tea and…" she trailed off as she saw the icy look on Florence's face, and Tea rapidly removed her hand from the blonde girl's shoulder.

"Thank you." Florence said calmly, making the three newcomer's flinch slightly. Even though the new student was shorter than all three of them, she seemed to have ten times the attitude to make up for it, they observed warily.

"Florence, I'll get some," Yugi said kindly, running off before she had a chance to protest. Florence glared at Tea as she watched Yugi's every movement. Florence wouldn't have been surprised if Tea had started drooling from the way she looked at Yugi. 'Poor guy' Florence thought.

"What's up Flo? What've I done wrong? Joey asked Florence, sounding slightly hurt at the way she snapped at him.

Florence looked round furiously, as she heard Joey calling her 'Flo'. She scowled at him icily.

"What you've done wrong Wheeler, is exist." came a cool voice from behind Florence, making her jump in shock, a turn around to meet a pair of deep blue eyes.

Kaiba smirked slightly as they did, and Florence was about to respond in kind, when she remembered how he had been so arroganr, so she decided to glare at him instead, although perhaps not quite as ferociously.

Without warning, Kaiba started laughing as he caught sight of her lap, seeing the contents of her sandwich splattered messily over her skirt.

Florence turned bright red, and ducked her head down to avoid further embarrassment.

Just then, she heard Yugi return and politely say: "Excuse me Kaiba, I'd like to get to my seat." Kaiba abruptly stopped laughing upon recognizing Yugi, glared at him, then turned his back and strode away moodily.

"Here you are Florence." said Yugi, carefully laying the napkins on her lap, smiling up at her.

"Thank you Yugi." Florence whispered gratefully, bringing her gaze up to meet his. As their eyes met, he gently pressed a note into her hand and winked at her.

Florence frowned, a little uneasy as she pondered the contents of the piece of paper. She smiled back at him warily.

"Yugi-"Tea started to say. But unlucky for her, the bell rang, indicating the end of lunch break.

"Wow!" Yugi exclaimed "Lunch seemed really short, anyway, I'd better go, I'm right over the other end of the school for next lesson – see you guys later!" He said, waving, and sending Florence a cute smile.

Joey, Tea and the boy with brown hair all moved as fast as they could to get away from Florence, afraid that she might get annoyed with them again. She smirked, satisfied, as they fled into the crowd.

Someone brushed past her arm, as she pushed her way through the door, and as they did so, it tingled slightly. Florence raised her hand and rubbed the spot where the sensation was occurring. Suddenly, she remembered the note she'd been given by Yugi. Florence opened up the scrunched piece of paper and read it as she walked along.

_Hi Florence,_

_Just wondered if you'd like to meet up this weekend – maybe me and you could even have a duel?! My grandpa owns the card shop, so if you want to come, meet me outside at 10am on Saturday._

_Hope you can make it,_

_Yugi_

_P.S. There is something I want to show you – and DON'T WORRY the rest of the gang won't be there!_

Okay, so sue me, I couldn't be bothered with editing this one much so it's still pretty much in it's original form. Please review.

Thanks for reading.

~ DragonGirl


	6. Unreal

As usual, a fair amount of concern arose out of Florence travelling alone in a strange city. On the other hand, her parents were desperate for their daughter to be happy and make friends, it was the least they could do to let her go to this friend's house…

When the teen arrived downstairs, she found her parents in the middle of a serious dialogue.

"Dear, you can trust Florence." Her Dad said casually as he took a sip of his tea.

"I know that!" Her Mum replied, her voice rising as she waved her hands for emphases. "But I don't feel comfortable knowing that she'll be riding that...thing..." She trailed off.

Feeling a little defensive, Florence decided to intervene. "Mum," She started. "First of all, that 'thing' is my motorcycle and it's perfectly safe. Second, I know that my friend will look after, and no, we are _not_ planning a rave. Finally, I know my way through the city well enough _not_ to get lost." Everyone in the kitchen looked at April when Florence had said the last part, and a small tint of blush appeared on April's face.

"Hey,hey, that only happened once!" Florence defended, a hint of a blush spreading across her face too.

"Once in your lifetime, or once in Domino City?" Her Mum interjected.

"Mum! Please!"

"But you really can't help but wonder as to how a 16 year old girl can get lost looking for a library that's only a few blocks away." April commented, causing Florence to send her younger sister a playful glare.

"Honestly April, you're supposed to be on my side, not theirs!"

"Okay," Their Dad said finally. "Settle down children, breakfast is served."

Reading the address out of the Yellow Pages book*, Florence briefly checked Google Earth and plotted her route to her friend's house. It really was sweet how he had invited her over out of the blue like that.

After a few more minutes, Florence shut down the computer, pulled on her motorbike gear, strode outside, turned the key in the ignition, vaulted over the bike and kicked off with a loud roar.

Within a matter of five minutes, Florence arrived at Yugi's house, having taken a few wrong turns on the way. Then again, you can't get everything right all the time. She reminded herself.

Dismounting her bike, Florence carefully wheeled it around the back of the shop, removed the keys and lifted her helmet off to tuck it under her arm. Running a hand through her windswept hair, she slowly walked around to the front of the shop.

It was a small, but eye-catching building. It announced 'CARD' in bold letters at the front of the shop, and there was a bright, vast display in the window.

Feeling a little nervous, Florence slowly made her way to the door and cautiously pushed open the door. A small bell tingled somewhere, announcing her arrival.

Florence's eyes widened. The shop was amazing! There were cards everywhere!

Posters of Black Luster Soldier… Harpie's Pet Dragonl… any duel monster you could imagine… _Duel Monster Heaven! _She thought, allowing a slight smirk to twist her lips.

"Excuse me young miss, can I help you?" A deep, elderly voice asked. Spinning on her heel, Florence turned to meet the deep purple eyes of a short, grey haired man.

"Er…" Florence paused, searching for words. "Er, well I was asked to come here by Yugi. I don't s'pose you know him do you?"

The old man's enquiring expression quickly transformed into a beaming grin. "Why yes! Of course, he's my grandson!"

As if on queue, Yugi suddenly appeared from behind the counter, his height having previously obscured him from sight. Waving a friendly hand at Florence, he greeted her enthusiastically as grandpa Muto's eyes darted between the two teenagers with suspicion.

"Yugi…" He began, turning to his grandson. "Is this your new girlfriend?"

There was a moment of silence as Yugi blushed to his roots while sending a discreet but infuriated glance at his unknowing grandfather.

Taking pity on the short boy, Florence stepped in. "Oh no Mr Muto, Yugi only invited me so I could help him with some homework." She smiled benignly and tucked a loose lock of golden hair behind her ear. "If that's alright?"

Grandpa Muto took a few moments to process the information as Yugi breathed out in almost audible relief, silently thanking Florence for saving him from a potentially embarrassing situation.

Eventually he nodded, turning his gaze on Yugi. "You could have told _me_ you had some homework you needed help with…" He grumbled to his grandson.

"Computers grandpa!" Yugi improvised, knowing his grandfather had an aversion to the machines. "Computers."

Appearing to accept this as a good reason, grandpa Muto turned back to the counter. "Go on then. Enjoy yourself." Then he added surreptitiously to Florence. "And don't let him distract you with Duel Monsters!"

Nodding in satisfaction, he watched the two teenagers leave the room as he manned the shop.

**Yugi's Room**

"Phew!" Yugi sighed in relief. "Good quick-thinking Florence!" He sent a small, shy smile to her which she returned. A light blush tinted the short teen's cheeks before he diverted his eyes.

_Cute._ Florence thought. _Cute, but not really my type. Ah well, he'll get over it._

"So, we going to do this duel or what?" She prompted him.

Yugi froze for a moment, his gaze fixing on a far-off point. Waving a hand in front of eyes, Florence jumped as he suddenly reached up to grab her forearm in his long fingers.

"Ow," She yelped slightly at his strong grip. "Please can I have my arm back?"

He released her arm and looked down at the ground, his face brooding. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine." _That was odd. His voice seems deeper – __**again**_. A frown briefly crossed Florence's face then she forced a smile on her face, putting Yugi's strange actions down to 'typical guy behaviour'.

Reaching in her pocket, Florence produced her deck and watched as the now strangely quiet Yugi mimicked her actions, taking his from a stylised leather belt which fitted snugly around his waist.

She watched curiously as Yugi pulled up a table, a fixed, serious expression on his face. A slightly unnerving contrast from his previous embarrassed manner. _It's almost like he's a different person._

Aware that Yugi's piercing purple gaze was now fixed on her, Florence's head snapped up. She met his dark lilac eyes with an intensity equalling his, challenging him.

"Let's duel." They said in the same moment as they slammed their decks onto the table and drew five cards each. Surveying her hand, Florence smiled in satisfaction. She had drawn well.

Yugi nodded at her, indicating for her to play first. Raising an eyebrow in response, Florence drew another card. _Dark Magician Girl! Brilliant! My favourite card…what luck!_

She smiled confidently, it would only take a few turns for her to win at this rate. She scanned her eyes over the powerful equip cards in her hand. Yes, this should be an easy win.

**20 minutes later**

"Damn! How did you do that? That was amazing Yugi!" Florence complemented her victorious opponent. A small, vague smile appeared briefly on her opponent's face. "Well done."

Holding her hand out in a sportsmanship gesture, Florence offered it to shake. Glancing down at it a moment, confused Yugi hesitated before grasping her hand in his.

Florence's nerves tingled slightly. Yugi's hand was warm and enclosed hers in a gentle grip before gently shaking it. Her eyes wandered to his deep purple ones. He definitely didn't _act _like Yugi… but he certainly appeared to be Yugi. But his eyes looked somehow different, somehow more mysterious, somehow…older.

Noticing that her hand was still in his, Florence gently removed her hand, feeling the uncomfortable sensation of blood rushing to her face. What was happening? She barely ever blushed.

"That was a good game." Yugi's deep, calm voice said softly as his eyes continued to gaze unashamedly into hers. "You would've won if you focused more on your other cards." He reached into the pile of cards which acted as Florence's Graveyard. "Dark Magician Girl is a rare and powerful card, but you need to place your trust in all of your cards." Another smile crept onto Yugi's face as he gently handed Florence her favourite card. This smile was more sincere, but it still wasn't the Yugi who had introduced himself.

"Thank you." Florence replied, carefully placing Dark Magician Girl on top of her deck before tucking it away into her pocket. "Like I said, you're a brilliant player."

Yugi nodded his head graciously in acceptance of the praise. _Yet the Yugi I knew would probably blush. Hmm…_ Sky pondered.

Yugi lifted his head then cocked it on one side, a large smile spreading over his face.

"Wow! Well Florence, that was amazing!" Yugi enthused as Florence frowned in deep confusion. One moment he was all serious and quiet, the next he was back to chatty blushing Yugi… what the heck was happening here? "Maybe next time you'll even beat me!"

Rubbing her forehead, Florence looked down at the excited young teen. "Look, er Yugi…" Hold on, how was she going to phrase this? She couldn't exactly ask if he was schizophrenic…. But curiosity ate away at her insides like something with an insatiable hunger.

"Florence, there's sorta something I need to tell you first…well, I mean show you." Yugi said suddenly, cutting off the girl's absent train of thought. He reached down to the large necklace around his neck and lifted it to head-height.

The brilliant gold pendant swung, catching the light and gleaming like a miniature pyramid-shaped sun in the light streaming through Yugi's window. Florence gasped involuntarily as the reflected rays of light almost blinded her. Holding up her arm to shield her eyes from their unrelenting glare, Florence moved back slightly.

A strong hand closed gentle fingers around her arm and slowly pulled it away from her face. Opening her eyes cautiously, Florence looked up to see Yugi's deep lilac eyes. Wait, they'd turned a shade darker again.

"This is what I wanted to show you." Yugi's deeper voice said again, his hand once again failing to release her arm.

Captured by his eyes, Florence listened intently to what Yugi had to say. _Whatever it is had better be a good explanation, or I'll have to assume he has some weird sort of problem with his voice breaking…_

"My name is Yami. Only recently Yugi became aware of my presence and up until two months ago I was trapped within the Millenium Puzzle." Yugi explained casually gesturing at the pyramid hanging around his neck. He spoke easily, as if telling Florence that ancient spirits lived within pieces of Egyptian jewellery on a worldwide spectrum. "We have reason to believe that my soul was trapped within the Millenium Puzzle for a reason." He released Florence's arm subconsciously and protectively cradled the Puzzle between his hands. "I need to discover that reason, and for some purpose, destiny guided you to me." Yami paused to lift his gaze from the Puzzle and looked directly into Florence's dark green eyes. "Can you help me?"

Florence shook her head slowly. "Wait, this is information overload. I mean, what sense does this make? Do you even have any proof?" She frowned at Yami's stunned expression. "How do I know you're not just schizophrenic or something?"

"Schizophrenic?" Yami asked blankly, his face an almost comical picture of confusion. "What's that?"

Sighing, Florence couldn't resist smiling slightly. Either Yugi was just playing dumb… or dare she think it, he was telling the truth. "It's this thing where you have like two personalities, one person."

Yami looked thoughtful, then nodded.

Florence rolled her eyes. "By the way, it's not normally a good thing. Means you're going crazy."

Yami looked worried, apparently he wasn't sure about anything, except duel monsters. Florence was slowly starting to believe he might be telling the truth. But until there was proof, she wouldn't be utterly convinced.

"Am I crazy?" He asked Florence seriously. He sounded genuinely concerned.

Florence shook her head. "Look, Yami, or whoever – whatever – you are, if you are a separate entity from Yugi, can you prove it? I mean, what's your past? Is it the same as Yugi's?"

Yami shrugged.

"You don't know?" Florence asked disbelievingly. "Nothing?"

"Only what I've seen in Yugi's mind. That is all I know." Yami affirmed, inclining his head slightly and resting his solemn gaze on the ground. Feeling a pang of guilt, Florence reached forward to lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Whatever was wrong with him, she wanted to help.

Yugi's head snapped up and his face coloured slightly as he registered Florence's grip on his shoulder. "Florence? What…?"

"I think I upset you, or Yami, or whoever." Florence quickly removed her hand from his shoulder and registered the fact that the 'original' Yugi had returned.

"Yami? Oh, he's always like that." Yugi reassured her with a bright smile.

"But," Florence continued, "the thing is, though I'm uncertain, I've noticed you seem to change, and Yami did really seem like another person, but…" She trailed off and looked down at Yugi. "Yugi… is it _really_ true?"

Yugi nodded and rubbed the pointed spikes of his hair awkwardly. "Yeah. I know it's impossible, but it's true…"

A sudden, loud rapping on the door interrupted them and Yugi almost fell over in shock.

"Yugi! Dinner's ready!" Yugi's grandpa shouted through the door, punctuating his words with another series of knocks. "Ask your friend if she wants some."

Yugi glanced over at Florence questioningly. She shook her head carefully. "Thank you Yugi, but I just need to think all this over." She smiled. "Heck! It's a lot for a girl to take in for just one day!"

Yugi let out a short laugh then turned to the door. "That's okay, I understand. I guess I'll see you Monday!"

Yugi watched Florence from his window as she walked out of the card shop and journeyed back along the street outside. The dappled sunlight cast spots of shadow over her blond hair like the spotted marks of a leopard's back.

He instinctively looked over his shoulder upon sensing Yami's unmistakeable presence.

"How'd you think it went?" Yugi asked Yami's transparent projection.

"I'm not sure Yugi. But I expect we'll see." Yami replied, his eyes fixed on the road as if imagining Florence was still there.

Yugi felt a slight spike of jealousy. Yami appeared to like her too. Then again, he was only a spirit and a brooding one at that. Pushing the unwanted feeling aside, Yugi smiled carefreely at his doppleganger.

"I'm gonna go downstairs have something to eat. You coming?"

Yami shook his head, transparent and ghost-like in the sunlight pouring through Yugi's window. The younger boy watched as the spirit strode purposefully over to the window sill and sat beside it, looking out pensively, sifting through his scattered memories. Desperately trying to remember his past.

**April's POV**

April jumped as Florence bounded in the door… wait… bounded? Since when does _Florence _bound?

The younger sibling immediately ran downstairs to greet her sister. She planned to tell her about what she'd discovered later, for the moment, she was content to hear Florence's story. Hers could wait.

**Florence's POV**

Florence smiled as her sister enthusiastically pulled her into a hug.

"How was it?" She asked, a mischievous spark in her eye which made her sister feel slightly unnerved. April winked mischievously. "Don't worry, I won't tell Mom… much!"

She laughed impishly as Florence made to grab her. "I've still got to get you back for the other day! You'd better watch it you little scamp!" She threatened as her sister grinned in an accurate rendition of the Cheshire Cat.

Florence gave up chasing her sister and instead collapsed on the sofa, pulling her cards from her pocket. It was amazing just how exhausted she managed to get from going over a friend's house. Then again, it was far from an ordinary day.

After a few minutes, realizing that she was safe, April joined her sister on the couch and watched her as she thumbed through her cards. There was a long silence. It was often like this. The sisters respected one another, and one another's peace. Sometimes it was better to fill spaces with silence than words.

"Did you win?" April asked finally, still slightly breathless from her earlier exertion of dodging her sister's lousy attempts to catch her.

Florence shook her head. "No… he's good. Possibly the best I've met." She paused, her gaze roaming the still unfamiliar room until her gaze rested on the fire's glowing embers. "But it was a good game. Close. These cards you got me though, they're brilliant." She smiled up at her sister.

"That one looks like you." April said suddenly as she looked over her sister's shoulder. Florence followed her sister's pointed finger.

"Dark Magician Girl? You think so?"

April nodded and Florence smiled in flattered response. "That's cool. She's my favourite."

Another silence ensued until broken by a loud clatter as the girls' parents returned.

"Florence, April! Get yourselves _off _the sofa! It's teatime!" Their Mum shouted as the two teens cringed.

"No need to yell!" Florence yelled back. April grinned and followed her groaning sister to the kitchen where they sat down for their evening meal. The younger sister had noticed that Florence was even quieter and more pensive than usual. Unfortunately it didn't stop her from complaining though.

"Mum, please tell me that whatever's in that bag is vegetarian cause I really want to stick to this whole veg-diet-thing." Florence began.

April rolled her eyes. Her sister might give off the impression of being all easy-going and friendly but she was like a Mr Hyde when she arrived back home. Vegetarianism! Huh!

The meal passed without further incident and Florence carefully evaded the questions about precisely _whose _house she had visited. April waited patiently for her to finish, leaving her plate virtually untouched in her desperation to talk to her sister. She had to tell her. Soon.

Florence finally finished and helped April clear the plates. Sensing her sister's distraction, the older sister remained silent until they reached their rooms.

Sinking down on her bed, hands clasped and supporting her chin, April snapped her head up as Florence called her name again.

"April? What the heck is wrong?" She repeated, her voice laced with concern as she considered her preoccupied sister. April twisted her hands in her lap, preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"I need to tell you something… I've…" April took a breath in. "I've been having these weird dreams lately..." Her hands still twisting and turning in her lap.

Florence raised an eyebrow, "They're not just any weird dreams, are they?"

April was silent, her eyes went dull for a moment-this showed that a deep thought was in progress, "Depends on whose definition on 'weird'. Florence these dreams I've been having, seem so...So-so..." April couldn't seem to find the right words.

"Unreal, perhaps?" Florence wanted to know exactly what was going on her sister's head in that very moment; usually they had a bond in which they could easily and often so read one another minds. The strange feeling of actually not knowing where this conversation with April was going scared Florence.

"The opposite." April looked Florence dead in the eye; brown looking into green. April's eyes were starting to tear up; this notion shocked Florence. In all the years Florence had known April; from the moment she was adopted into the Driver family and there on April never cried; much less had tears in her eyes. Yes, April was on the verge of tears once in Florence's memory when a certain incident had occurred but that was it.

"Florence," April stated; she was trying with all her might to hold the tears back, "The dreams are too vivid; too familiar."

"W-What are you trying to say, April?" Florence placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You can talk to me about anything; it'll be alright." Florence's concern grew stronger.

"Florence," April began again, "I think that these two people I've been dreaming about are my parents."

Florence looked at April in bewilderment," Why would you dream about Mum and dad?"

The younger sister shook her head, "No, not mum and dad. I mean my real parents."  
Florence looked at her sister with wide eyes. "And…" She trailed off, letting a sob escape her lips. "And I think they might still be alive…"

*Yes! I know, Yellow Pages. But unless anyone knows the Japanese equivalent… Yellow Pages STAYS!!!!

Please review lovely people!


	7. Hunted!

"What?" Florence couldn't think of anything else to say, "How could you have remembered any of that?! Better yet, why are you just remembering all of that now?!"

A soft knock was heard on the door, "Is everything alright girls?" Their father asked, "You two are getting a bit loud."

"Everything's fine!" April replied quickly, throwing Florence a pleading look.

"Yeah," Florence was looking at her sister pensively, "Everything's fine."

"Alright, then." Adam walked back to join his wife in the living room.

Florence glared back at her sister; something wasn't right. "Since when do you lie to mum and dad?"

She lowered her voice, "Florence, please listen me!" April covered her face with her hands, "These dreams; I can't take it anymore…I need to know. Florence, I really need to know."

"I'm sorry April," Florence sighed; her glare towards her sister died down, "We've tried to find information on your biological parent; you know that." Florence soothed.

April removed her hands from her face; her eyes were red now but no tears were coming down, "I know…But the dreams keep becoming clearer." April lifted her head to met Florence's eyes once again, "I can see their faces very clearly." A weary smile came to April's face, "I look a lot like my mother; did you know that? Well, except for my eyes-hers were greyish blue-I mostly have my dad's eyes."

Florence smiled slightly, "I didn't know that…" her smile faded and her voice lowered to one of gentle concern. "April, there're just dreams. You can't let them affect you, okay?"

Silence hung almost visibly in the air between the two sisters.

"You're right." April got off Florence's bed and headed towards the door, "They're just…dreams."

Florence stayed quiet at the soft click of the door. _I think I've upset her, _Florence turned her gaze to the family picture that sat undisturbed on her desk. It was a picture of their smiling parents standing protectively over their two daughters who sat in front of them. A younger, less sombre Florence was scowling at the camera, as was her habit – she had always hated having her photo taken, whereas carefree April had a large grin splitting her tan face, laughing at Florence's dry sarcastic attitude and sullen expression as the camera snapped, capturing the moment forever. They had always been so close… _I need to make it up to her somehow._

Florence shook her head, still attempting to come to terms with what her sister had told her. It seemed impossible. April was _her_ sister; she always had been her sister. The thought that she could actually be someone else's sister was somewhat disturbing and somehow seemed to drive a wedge between them.

She knew that it shouldn't. She knew it shouldn't affect their close relationship. But she couldn't help it, because however much she wished to deny it, it did. Perhaps if April found her _real_ parents Florence would be forgotten… perhaps if she had a _real _sister...

The thought was too much to bear. Florence buried her face in her pillow a moment before curling into a tight ball. Hopefully she would wake tomorrow to find this all a dream. Just a dream.

Muffling a few muted sounds of despair into her pillow, Florence slowly drifted into the hazy realms of sleep, dreaming of dark figures who wrapped shadowy arms around her sister's receding form. She was loosing her.

* * *

Florence awoke with a loud yawn to find her bedside alarm clock read only five am. It was early. Shoving the covers off her bed with a quiet moan, the teenager reluctantly pulled herself to a sitting position and rubbed her stinging eyes. She felt terrible.

There was no point in trying to sleep though, once she woke, she was awake for good. She'd hardly slept at all last night. The avid nightmares had seen to that.

Carefully switching off her alarm, Florence inelegantly landed on the floor with two feet and padded across to her wardrobe, uttering another short moan as she realised most of her clothes were in the wash. Reluctantly dragging a pair of old black jeans and a dark skinny t-shirt from a hanger and smoothing out the creases in the crumpled clothing, Florence slowly made her way to the bathroom to get changed.

A few minutes later she emerged, refreshed. Thankfully it was Sunday, so she had an entire day ahead of her to process her thoughts, starting with a nice bit of early-morning exploration. Stretching her aching muscles, Florence proceeded to pull on a pair of shoes and quickly dragged a brush through her waist-length gold locks. Slipping a couple of hair ties around her wrist before leaving her room, Florence briefly checked her reflection then slipped out of the door.

She sent a quick glance at her sister's room. Noticing the door was ajar, she peered in briefly to see her sister sleeping with a worried frown crinkling her forehead, her small hand clasping the pillow's soft down for comfort. Torn between two decisions, after a moment's hesitation, Florence crept to April's side and gently held her tensed hand until she released her grip on the pillow, the frown fading to be replaced with a smile. Satisfied her work was done, Florence turned back to the door only to spin around as April muttered a name in her sleep.

"Joey…"

Smirking and resisting the temptation to laugh, her earlier troubles forgotten, Florence carefully closed her sister's door behind her and crept down the stairs without a sound. _At least, _Florence thought, _on the upside I've got a way to get April back for teasing me about Yugi… not to mention that complete douche Kaiba! She's so in for it later._

Before leaving the house, Florence quickly searched the numerous drawers in the kitchen in attempt to find a pen. After a few minute, paper and pen in hand, the teenager hastily scribbled a note to her parents to tell them of her whereabouts lest they become concerned.

_Hey Mum,_

_Just to say that I've gone out for a while, be back soon._

_Florence xxx_

After singing the 'x's with a flourish, Florence carelessly dropped the pen on the table, grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

Florence loved the outdoors. It was more natural, more familiar to her than staying inside. She hated feeling trapped.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air, Florence appreciated the morning's beauty. A glowing, golden orb hung low over the horizon, illuminating every surface with a glittering sheen. The sun's all-seeing glare brushed the dew covered trees, bathing them in a magnificent film of shining splendour.

_Beautiful._ She thought appreciatively, allowing a small smile to cross her lips. It was a shame that so few people saw this spectacular scene. _But, _she realised, _perhaps it wouldn't be as special if everyone saw it._

Tossing her long hair in the light breeze, Florence strode over to her bike. It couldn't hurt to explore and perhaps she could maybe even get a gift for her parents… or April. That's if she still wanted a sister.

Brushing the unwanted thought from her mind, the teenager pulled on her helmet, mounted the bike then kicked off. She would usually rev the engine, but it seemed inappropriate at such an early time in the morning.

Florence's hair whipped her back as she sped along the narrow streets of Domino town. It was somehow refreshing to feel the wind tearing savagely at her clothing. She loved her freedom.

After a few minutes, Florence pulled onto a kerb. Recognising the small green and the large building towering above, she quickly identified her location to be near the Domino museum. Roughly pulling her helmet from her head, Florence briefly ran a hand through her tangled, disarrayed blond hair then jumped off the bike, taking care to remove the key from the ignition. If she remembered correctly, she was somewhere near Yugi's house.

Brushing her messy locks from her face, Florence ambled absently across the green, appreciating its lush vegetation and vivid flowers. As she aimlessly strolled around the abandoned square, the teenager soon found her feet leading her towards the museum.

Surprisingly, it appeared open, the door was left ajar. _Perhaps they're cleaning it out in preparation for the new day…_ Florence thought. Curious, she peered into the gloomy building. _Hmm. No lights._

Florence jumped several meters as a gentle touch on her arm made her spin around abruptly. She met a pair of deep, curious purple eyes and a tanned face which was framed by a crazy mane of sandy blonde hair which looked almost white in the sunlight glaring behind him. The young man wore a long dark coat which flapped enigmatically around his ankles as he looked down at Florence, withdrawing his hand to fold his arms and lean casually against the doorframe.

"Can I help you?" He asked. His voice was soft and gentle and his eyes glittered with thousands of hidden secrets, but it was not his face that attracted Florence's eyes, but the strange golden stick that was tucked into his belt. Tearing her eyes away from the strange object, Florence forced her gaze back up to the blond Egyptian-looking man.

"Er… I was just wondering when you opened." Florence eventually managed to spurt. There was definitely something odd about that golden rod. Suddenly, she realised. Upon the curved golden surface of the stick was a large, Egyptian eye. _Just like the one on Yugi's Puzzle, s_he thought.

Noticing the teenager's gaze fixed upon his rod, the young man smiled. "You're wondering what this is?" He asked. Florence nodded uncertainly, eyeing the young man before her. Something just wasn't quite _right_ about him… "It's an ancient Egyptian artefact; I'm looking after it for the museum." An amused smirk crossed his face as if he was laughing at some private joke.

Raising a suspicious eyebrow, Florence let it pass. This guy creeped her out. She momentarily thought to mention that a friend of hers had such an item, but feeling uncomfortable beneath the young man's piercing purple gaze she decided she wanted to get away as soon as possible.

"Hmm. Well thank you…er…"

"Namu." He finished, although Florence had only been thinking of what to say next as opposed to asking for his name. _Oh well…_

"Thanks Namu. But I'd better be off now." Florence turned to the door, fixing her usual pensive frown on her face. Her heart skipped a beat as the young man made an impulsive movement with his hand to reach for the rod at his belt. Florence flinched instinctively at his sudden action but the moment of tension was broken as Namu laughed easily and waved a carefree hand at Florence. She turned unsurely back towards the entrance. Something definitely wasn't right. What had he been about to do?

The young man watched as the teenager moved uneasily out of the door. He hadn't meant to scare her, but she was pretty wary in comparison to some of the kids her age. Not that it mattered, after all, she wasn't significant in his scheme. He chuckled quietly. No, he could afford to let her go. For the moment.

Florence trembled slightly as she walked down the rough concrete steps from the museum, a cold chill which had previously not existed brushed icy fingers over her skin. She wanted to get away from the museum as fast as possible. Away from that boy… Namu.

Rubbing her arms to get her blood circulating, Florence mounted her motorbike, and seeing that it was still early, decided to take a detour on her way back home.

* * *

After driving a few miles, exploring the various nooks and crannies of the vast complex streets of which Domino consisted, Florence eventually decided to return. Using her in-built ergo, slightly unreliable, sense or direction, she turned into a small side street which had a remote possibility of being a shortcut. Revving her motorbike slightly as she put a foot to the ground in order to execute the sharp turn, Florence carefully drove the bike down the dark alleyway.

Her heart skipped a beat, breath catching in her throat as a line of dark figures suddenly stepped out in front of her vehicle, forming a solid line across the street. Instinctively, Florence slowed down, her brakes screeching as she desperately tried to avoid hitting the pedestrians. _Not that they were your average pedestrian._ She noted. Far from it. The figures formed an intimidating posse dressed in long dark cloaks. Chains hung to act as clasps beneath the necks and beneath the chains, ominous white eyes were emblazoned, as if staring at her sightlessly. _That eye again! Why do I keep seeing it? What does it mean?_

Florence put her foot down to steady the bike as it slowed to a halt, threatening to misbalance. Biting her lip and furrowing her brow in concern, the teenager's eyes darted between the motionless figures presenting a human barrier across the alley.

Hearing a slight, almost undetectable sound scutter behind her, Florence's head snapped around to face her pursuer. The figure was dressed like the 'human barrier', except it stood alone as it slowly drew closer to the girl.

Revving her engine, Florence wheeled the bike around with a loud screech to face the newcomer. Whoever he was should know better than to stand in her way.

"I don't think you want to do that." The hooded figure's calm, commanding voice called. Florence's frown deepened. She watched, transfixed as the cloaked stranger slowly reached up to lift his hood.

"Namu." Florence recognised with an involuntary shiver. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?"

"Oh, nothing much…" Namu said casually, smirking as he observed the girl in front of him. "Just… this!" Before Florence could react, the young man reached inside his cloak to produce the rod she had noticed earlier. The golden object gleamed mysteriously in the faint sunlight trickling into the alley.

Florence let out a short bark of forced laughter. "What do you think you can do with that? Use it like a magic wand?"

Namu's smirk remained fixed to his face. "Maybe I could, but first…" He inclined his head slightly, his voice lowering to a whisper. "My Rare Hunters…"

The hooded figures suddenly moved forwards forming an unbreakable circle around Florence and her motorbike. Now she was in a predicament, if she tried to escape, she could risk hurting someone – badly, but she hardly wanted to stay around this creep Namu…

"Call them off, _now_ Namu!" Florence shouted angrily at the young man.

Namu shook his head, enjoying the feeling of power he held over the girl. "No." Seeing Florence's infuriated expression, he laughed. It wasn't a normal laugh, full of amusement and light heartedness. No, it was twisted and echoing. The hairs on the back of the teenager's neck stood up until Namu ceased.

Unable to stand the feeling of being trapped any longer, Florence revved her engine threateningly. She wasn't standing for this. If she had to, she would employ dangerous driving tactics, but one thing was for sure, she was going to escape.

Namu's eyes narrowed as he realised Florence's plan. Casting his dark purple eyes to his followers, he issued a command, holding the golden rod high above his head. "Now my Rare Hunters!"

Florence only just kept a grip on the handlebars of her bike as abruptly, all seven of the hooded figures surrounding her produced an arm device and a card deck, before drawing a card and summoning a collection of powerful Duel Monsters.

The teenager's eyes widened, these monsters didn't seem just like the simple holograms used by duel arenas. No, these looked like _real _monsters… but that was impossible… wasn't it?

One of the monsters, a Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress suddenly dived through the air towards her, its mouth glowing a dangerous yellow in preparation for attack. This was ridiculous! How was she supposed to defend herself against that without any cards?

Lifting her arm to shield herself, Florence braced herself for the impact of the monster's attack. _Just a hologram…_ She tried to convince herself.

Suddenly, a large shadow fell over the scene and all but Namu looked to the skies as they heard a magnificent roar break the eerie silence. Bright blue light lit the alleyway, and the last thing Florence saw was an almighty, brilliant white dragon before she fell from her bike and slipped into unconsciousness.


	8. Dragons

Above, the white dragon swooped elegantly towards the cloaked figures, its brilliant white wings luminous and almost transparent as they reflected the sun's bright rays. Instinctively, the cloaked figures lifted their arms to shield their faces from the dazzling light. But the dragon was only just getting started.

A tall figure, unidentifiable in the sunlight framing his impressive silhouette, rose to his feet, long coat billowing out behind him as he leant casually against the side of the helicopter. The cloaked figures heard as the sun-framed man pointed his finger towards them an bellowed a loud command at the dragon.

"Blue-Eyes White Lightning attack!"

The dragon immediately descended, landing with an audible thump in front of the ring of dark shapes. It hesitated for a moment, its head drawing back slightly. Then, without warning its head jerked forward and its mouth opened wide to project a long beam of bright bluish-white energy which smashed into the figure's monsters, easily wiping them out with one blow.

The dragon looked back to its master, as if for confirmation. Its deep blue eyes met ones of equal intensity and ferocity. "Finish these cowards once and for all!" He growled.

Turning back to the figures, who now cowered fearfully at its feet, the white dragon lifted its head once more to release another burst of intense energy, scattering the figures until they laid unconscious, sprawled like rag dolls on the alley-floor.

Satisfied, the silhouetted figure within the helicopter nodded at the dragon in silent thanks then slipped his hand onto the bulky device attached to his arm. After a moment, he removed a small brown card from its flat surface and the dragon's form flickered briefly, before fading into the air.

Namu hastily clambered through the broken window of one of the deserted street flats, pulling his hood low over his head to cast his face in shadow. He couldn't risk being seen, not yet anyway. He was lucky to have escaped such a predicament without detection.

Lifting his rod, he uttered a few quiet incomprehensible syllables under his breath, his dark lilac eyes fixed predatorily on Florence's slumped from. Somehow, she had escaped harm from the white dragon's attack, but he couldn't risk the teenager remembering today's events. So she would forget. With a flash of gold beaming forth from the rod's golden eye, Namu completed his task. Without a backwards glance, the young man fled from the alley.

Kaiba lowered the helicopter to the ground, its blades cut cleanly through the air as it descended among the scattering of cloaked bodies which lay motionless on the ground beneath. The sapphire-eyed youth smirked. It was good to know his Blue-Eyes was as invincible as ever.

For a moment, Kaiba pondered why he had been drawn to this place… it was a good thing Yugi wasn't here or he'd be giving him the whole 'destiny lecture', which - knowing Yugi – would no doubt be followed by the 'friendship speech'. He groaned at the thought, passing an exasperated hand through his messy brown hair.

Luck. It was because of luck that he'd seen those monsters from his usual leisure flight over Domino. Rare though it was anything interesting happened. This was an exception.

Peering down at the control screen, Kaiba read the reading on the height measuring device. He removed his headset upon registering that the KC copter was only 5 metres above its destination. Stepping towards the open door of the helicopter, Kaiba fearlessly jumped from the cockpit to execute a fearless and perfect landing on the ground beneath, briefly touching his hand to the floor before straightening up.

A frown spread across his stern features. It was impossible. The group of unconscious men had stolen technology that was not due out until the start of the Tournament next month.

"How did they get their hands on _my_ technology?" Kaiba growled furiously to himself. This was unacceptable. "I'll see to it that every one of these thieves is hunted down and destroyed!" He assured himself, a slight smirk twisting the edges of his lips…_by me!_

It would be all the more satisfying to see the dogs cower at his hand.

As the young man scanned the street, calculating how much back-up he would need to remove the unmoving bodies, his eyes widened in shock as they fell upon the young girl's form slumped uselessly against her motorbike.

Had he done that?

Slightly concerned, Kaiba weaved through the maelstrom that his Blue-Eyes White Dragon had created until he reached the girl's side.

"Driver." He muttered in recognition. Well it _would_ have to be her wouldn't it? The question was, what had those figures wanted with her?

Kaiba clenched his hands into tight fists. Those cowards had obviously ganged up on her and attacked her. That was unacceptable. He would not have this in his town.

After a few moments, Kaiba sighed. He supposed that he would have to get the girl home as soon as she was in no fit condition to do so herself. Lifting his hand, the youth replaced his headset.

"Give me the location of the citizen known as Florence Driver's house." He barked into the microphone. He wasn't wasting any time on pleasantries. Anyway, why should he? He was _paying _these people.

There was a long pause. "Residential area. Street 115, house number 7. Anything else Mr Kaiba?" The weary voice asked.

"No." He turned off the communication link then swept back to the girl's motionless form. He would have to arrange for her motorbike to be taken to her house separately, preferably without arousing suspicion.

Kaiba kneeled down to pick the girl's form up, slinging her easily over his shoulder as if she were no more than a sack of potatoes. He smirked slightly at the analogy, then produced a remote from an inside coat pocket, pressing one of the buttons so that the helicopter descended to ground level. He quickly jumped into the KC copter, then dumped the inanimate girl onto the seat beside him.

Turning on his communication once more, Kaiba fixed his default glare expression back onto his face. "Clear up this mess."

"Yes Mr Kaiba sir." The voice on the other end of the line said obediently.

"And get the girl's bike back to her house. Discreetly." With this final command issued, Kaiba disconnected, then glanced down at the girl's form beside him. She was stirring slightly. He'd better get her back home quickly.

The helicopter rose once more into the air. Kaiba executed a perfect 180 turn, then accelerated to top speed, a frown creasing his face as he thought back to the figures slumped in the street beneath him.

Obviously this Tournament wasn't going to run as smoothly as he had hoped.

* * *

Florence woke the next morning. Her head pounded uncomfortably as her alarm clock greeted her in its usual manner. Grinding her teeth, she slammed a hand onto the innocent clock, silencing it with a last, submissive beep. It was time to get ready for school.

Unfortunately, in the process of having a shower and almost falling back to sleep while washing her hair, Florence succeeded in being late. Her parents shouted up to her, requesting non-too-gently that she hurried up, or, as the case was 'get her ass downstairs _now!_'

By the time she arrived downstairs, fully clothed and brush stuck in the tangles of her long hair, April had long since departed with her friends. Feeling a slight sense of loss that her sister hadn't waited for her, Florence frowned for a moment, then pushed her feelings aside. Getting petty and upset wasn't going to help anyone. She was sure April had a reason.

Glancing down at her watch, Florence realised the time with an expression of horror. With a quick 'bye' to her mum and dad, she rushed out the front door and dashed down the road, arriving breathlessly at the school gates. Late.

Florence barely looked at her timetable before hastily making her way to her first lesson. Maths. Great.

Luckily, the teacher had yet to arrive. Apparently she had slept in. Breathing a sigh of relief, Florence seated herself at the only spare desk in the room, which unfortunately happened to be, once again, next to Kaiba. Obviously he preferred an empty desk any day to human company.

The teenager passed a short, tri-colour haired boy, barely registering his wave but she looked up as he called out. "Hey Florence! We thought you weren't gonna show!" Yugi's voice chimed out, breaking through her ponderings.

Florence smiled vaguely at him, still absorbed in her thoughts as she seated herself next to Kaiba. She didn't catch the strange look the blue-eyed youth gave her as she sat beside him wordlessly, without even bothering to ask permission. Neither did she catch the fleeting look of jealousy on Yugi's face. Then, finally, the lesson started.

* * *

**The school hallway:**

Spotting her sister, Florence made a beeline for her. The morning so far had been hellish. She was tired and unable to pay attention, in addition to the aggravating lop-sided smirk that the smug Kaiba seemed to have on his face every time she spoke to him.

She needed to talk to April. Desperately.

Catching her sister's arm, Florence pulled her sister away from the bustle of the corridor and to one side.

"April, I really didn't mean to upset you." Florence's tone was sincere, "I'm sorry."

April smiled at her sister, "No, you're right Florence. I really shouldn't have thought much of those dreams anyways…I mean they were dreams, couldn't mean much right?"

"April-"Florence started, "I'm truly sorry."

"It's okay, Florence really." April gently brushed her shoulders against Florence's; despite April's cheery tone Florence could still sense something was wrong.

"I'll see you at lunch okay?" April told her older sister before taking off to class. _Although_, April thought smiling_, Florence might be hanging with her new friend…Uh, Yugi was it? - Seems like a nice kid…Maybe she doesn't need me anymore. _This thought struck April, like a sharp knife piercing into her heart.

"Yeah." Florence smiled back.

"Well," April still smiled, but her eyes portrayed something that of melancholy, "Save me a seat."

As April left her sister and to class; she tried her hardest to push any depressing thoughts out of her head.

_What if_, April kept trying to push the thought out of her head. _What if I don't belong anymore...?_

_

* * *

_

**Later on in class:  
**

Florence sat in the back of the class, glancing at the clock set in the corner every so often to see just how much work she had to endure until April would come for lunch. _Honestly_, The blonde thought to herself, _you'd think we'd be on the next few chapters of this subject by now_. World History was something Florence was already familiar with; and if there was anyone to blame about her current boredom, it would be her tedious 5th grade teacher .

"Having a hard time paying attention, Driver?" An icy tone mocked. He had decided not to mention about the events of the previous day, it could only be damaging to his reputation, and it really didn't seem worth it.

Florence rolled her eyes at the arrogant teen, "Shove off, _Seto_." She laced his name with sarcastic emphasis.

Florence smirked upon registering Kaiba's expression of annoyance; it was amazingly satisfying to aggravate him. _Not as high and mighty as you thought you were_, she teased in her head.

"You will call me Kaiba," Kaiba whispered in a deadly serious tone. Florence flinched as the youth unexpectedly reached out to grab her arm in a steel grip.

Glaring down at his hand as if scowls alone could burn through flesh, Florence's felt her temper reach its peak. How dare this arrogant teen touch her?

"You are not the boss of me; so you don't have any say in what I will or will not do -_SETO_!!" Florence ferociously broke her arm out of the brunet's iron grip; and for a rather short-lived moment Kaiba's ice-blue eyes widened and showed a rare flicker of respect as he met the teenager's determined expression.

_Although,_ Florence thought as she glanced back at him, _it could have just been a trick of the light._ The blonde girl awaited the inevitability of Kaiba's next insult or rude comment. It was almost a game now. A competition between the two. But who would crack first?

Kaiba simply sent the girl a self-satisfied smirk and went back to his work, resuming his usual, obsessive tapping on his laptop.

"What the hell…?" Florence whispered to herself, registering Kaiba's expression of aloof indifference_. God, I hate that despicable, smug pain-in-my-ass!!! _And for some reason a slight tint of blush rose to her cheeks as she realized that he had, in fact, succeeded in annoying her once again.

* * *

Less editing on this one, but still some... lots more to come... IF YOU REVIEW! ... please? ~ DragonGirl *hyper on coffee*


	9. Incidents

Florence smiled and waved back at her sister as April made her way towards the desk. April managed to throw the depressing thoughts of her no longer fitting in with her family; but part of her knew that the thoughts would eventually come back.

April opened her mouth to speak.

"Hey."

_Wait, that's not my voice_. April thought turning to source of the voice.

April blushed upon seeing a certain set of light brown eyes and blond hair.

"Oh, hi…Joey is it?" April smiled shyly.

Joey smiled and raised an eyebrow - a notion which showed he was trying to be suave, "Oh, so you've heard of me?"

"I've heard a couple of teachers yell out your name from time to time." April admitted with a giggle.

"Oh…" Joey scratched the side of his head.

"I'm April by the way." She smiled; but it faded quickly. _You're supposed to be sitting down with your sister; not talking to some guy you think is charming, you dork! _April yelled at herself.

"See you around." April blurted quickly, leaving Joey standing and heading towards Florence's desk.

Florence seemed amused by this; April like her rarely showed any likeness towards a boy…Let alone a boy Florence didn't really favour.

"Ooh," Florence teased while smirking at her sister, "You better watch out, April. I hear he's real charmer!"

"Florence!" April said whilst covering her face to hide the dark blush forming on her cheeks.

"This is payback; it's _completely_ fair." Florence smiled sweetly at her sister; it was a harmless way to mock each other in their book.

"Hmmph." April's bangs fell to her face hiding her eyes. _You don't fit in. _April pushed that thought out of her head the thousandth time of that day.

"Hey, Flo. You n' April know each other?" Joey said steeping into their conversation.

_Oh, Joey did not just call Florence "Flo";_ April glanced up with a spark of amusement in her eyes.

_That's it_, Florence thought to herself, _I am going to _**_kill_**_ him_.

"My name is Florence! Not "Flo", you…" She lifted her hands in exasperation, "you caveman facsimile!"

"All I was asking was if you and April knew each other!" Joey shouted back indignantly.

"Florence," April sighed with a small smile on her face.

A scoff from the side caught the younger sister's attention. April nearly fell out of her seat when she found an obviously icy brunet gazing in Florence's direction.

_He so likes my sister_, April thought in her head as she tried to drown out the loud voice of Florence and Joey. The boys head immediately snapped in April's direction and once again she nearly fell off her seat.

"I take it you're Driver's sister," His cold voice was heard clearly and loudly.

April nodded, "Yeah."

"Whoa!" Joey's voice boomed out, "April n' Flo are sisters?"

April blushed a little at Joey's confused expression - she found it cute. "I'm adopted, of course."

Usually, April didn't mind saying that she was adopted; though now was different. April wished that she could just crawl into a hole until everything blew over.

* * *

April was relieved, it was finally nearing the end of the day. She'd struggled to pay attention in lessons, her mind continuously wandered to thoughts of her real parents… who they were…what they were and where they were…

Several times she had almost landed herself in detention due to her lack of attention, but now she sat looking blankly at the computer screen on the desk in front of her, oblivious to her companion's attempts to catch her attention.

"She's not listenin' Tristan." Joey said in an exasperated voice. For the last few minutes, both Tristan and Joey had desperately been trying to catch the eye of the pretty, tanned girl sitting next to them.

Of course, it was beyond mere coincidence that Joey had ended up next to April. A small smile spread across his face. But Tristan didn't need to know that.

Tristan rolled his eyes at Joey, he didn't know why his friend was bothering, then again, he often failed to understand Joey's logic. Turning back to his computer, he indicated for the blond to do the same. Ignoring his friend, Joey tried once more to jolt the girl from her reverie.

"April, you 'k?" He asked softly, laying a gentle hand on the small girl's shoulder. April jumped slightly, shocked by the sudden contact she spun in her chair to meet a pair of deep, concerned brown eyes.

"Oh, hey Joey. I'm… I'm fine, just a bit tired I guess." April replied with a vague smile, her voice was distant and her eyes were still clouded with thought. Joey frowned slightly at her response, but turned to his computer monitor as the teacher entered the room.

April barely registered the teacher's presence, much less the instructions for the lesson as the voice droned on, occasionally addressing a question. Rubbing her forehead, April gazed out of the window, wishing she was anywhere else but in the classroom looking at a screen. She wished she could leave the pointless lesson and do something more important… like finding out about her real parents.

Suddenly, an idea struck April. What if she could find something out on the internet. True, it was unlikely, but it was worth a try. First thing was first; she typed in the name of the town in England they had moved from. Scrolling down the page, April found a list of facilities in the town… yes, there it was – the orphanage!

Her heart began to beat faster. Surely it couldn't be that easy – could it? The page seemed to take hours to load, the small green bar at the bottom of the screen gradually filling up as the monitor remained ominously blank.

"Hey April, how're ya doing with dat database?" Joey asked, breaking through her thoughts as he peered over her shoulder, hoping that the girl could possible help him. His eyes widened as the page loaded to show a banner of a large, grey stone orphanage and the heading read 'St. John's' in Gothic script. Just from the style of the building, the orphanage looked unappealing.

"Err… April? That's not da database."

April turned slightly in her seat to face the mystified blond. It was too late to shut the screen and play dumb, so she might as well explain.

"You're right Joey. I've been worrying all morning 'cause… well, it's difficult to explain, but you know what I said about being adopted?" Joey nodded to show he was listening, they were both unaware of the teacher's glare fixed upon the chatting teenagers. "Well I don't actually know who my parents are…" April blushed slightly. It must sound ridiculous to him. How could he understand? As a matter of fact, how could anyone?

She looked away, embarrassed. _Why did I even bother saying anything? Now I've just made a fool of myself!_

"Dat's alright April. So are ya lookin' dem up on here?" He asked, lowering his voice slightly as he noticed the teacher's disapproving gaze.

Surprised at Joey's concern, April allowed a shy smile to grace her lips. "Yeah, I thought there might be a chance… but, I don't know." Joey watched as April scrolled down to the list of children who had been up for adoption in the last fifteen years. There was no April.

Letting out a pent up breath, April sighed miserably. It wasn't as if she had expected to find all the answers there, but it was still disappointing. Seeing his new friend's distress, Joey placed a caring hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry April, I'm sure you'll find 'em." He paused for a moment and April could almost visibly see the cogs working in his mind, "Tell ya what, d'ya wanna meet up sometime and we can go look togeder? Ya never know, we might get something!" He enthused, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

April nodded and smiled in return, meeting the blonds' sparkling eyes. He was sweet, and very kind. "I'd love to, what about-?"

April was cut off as a loud voice cleared its throat. Slowly drawing her gaze away from Joey's, the girl's eyes slowly trailed up to meet a pair of angry black ones.

"And may I ask what is so important that you have abandoned your work? Or would you perhaps like to continue talking and share it with the whole class?" April blushed a brilliant red and averted her gaze to the keyboard, aware that the entire class was staring at her.

Taking pity on the small girl, Joey confidently turned to the teacher. "Sorry miss. April was just telling me what I gotta do with da database." Joey invented, oozing charm on the teacher.

The teacher glared at him for a moment then turned away. "This is _individual _work Mr. Wheeler, so if you need help, you ask me." She strode off before swooping down on another pair of chatting teenagers.

April glanced up gratefully and sent a thankful smile at Joey whose cheeks coloured slightly before he turned back to the screen. After a few moments of careful consideration, he turned back to the girl. "_Do _ya know how ta do this?" He asked.

April laughed.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

Florence yawned. This was so tired, not to mention tedious. How could _anyone_ possibly find this difficult?

She clicked her mouse idly. Apparently April had a computer lesson too, it was a shame they weren't in the same class or they might have been able to talk.

Still, it had only taken her ten minutes to complete an entire database sheet and now she was left with vacant seats either side of her while the rest of the class huddled at the front of the classroom, laughing, talking and asking the teacher for help.

Florence had preferred a seat further back, at least this way she wouldn't get such a bad headache.

Now beyond bored, Florence lazily opened up a window and typed a combination of letters and numbers into the little box. She wondered how easy it was to hack into the system. School systems were often under protected.

The teenager didn't register as a hush fell over the room, and at the far side, the classroom door slammed open to admit a tall, arrogant, blue-eyed teenager. After a few moments, the children returned to their conversations and the intruder was forgotten. The teacher didn't bat an eyelid at his tardy appearance and simply turned to shut the door which he had left slightly ajar.

Kaiba strode moodily to the back of the classroom, ignoring the few stares and whispers uttered as he walked past the teenagers, briefcase clasped tightly within his grip. They were all pathetic, worthless and below him.

He hardly registered the blonde teenager sitting by herself as he threw himself into a nearby computer chair and dumped his case on the desk. His computer beeped and chugged as it started up, reminding him of how rubbish the school computers were in comparison to the high-tech ones at his company. Glowering at the screen, Kaiba inadvertently found his eyes wandering to the screen of the computer next to him. On it was a series of numbers and letters mixed together in a seemingly random code. Yet it wasn't a code… he frowned.

Florence typed in a few more digits. The school system had been far too easy to hack into, as she had predicted. But that wasn't very entertaining, so seeking a bigger challenge; the teenager opened a new document and began to write down the foundations for a computer program.

Feeling the force of an intense gaze weighing heavily on the back of her neck, Florence spun around on her chair to meet a pair of clear cerulean eyes.

After a few long seconds of silence, Florence spoke; "Is there a problem?"

Kaiba smirked cynically, his eyes scanning the program she had begun to write. He had to admit, it was impressive, but nothing of his standards.

"No. But shouldn't you be doing something?" Florence raised an eyebrow. "Your work." He prompted in a matter-of-fact tone.

Florence flicked her hair arrogantly. So if that was how he played it, she would just have to reciprocate. "For your matter of interest Mr. I-must-stick-my-nose-in-everything-because-it's-so-big, I actually happen to have _finished_ my work."

Kaiba paused for a moment, his smirk fading into a trademark glare. Then he broke the silence. "That's the basis for a game."

Florence looked up, surprised by his sudden comment. "Yes. I've been thinking about making it for a while. My sister…" She trailed off. Her sister. Her sister who wasn't, in fact, her sister but rather somebody else's. Florence knew by intuition that April still was unsatisfied, even if she didn't voice her concern. Pulling herself back to the present situation, she glared straight back into the pair of unrelenting, emotionless blue eyes. "It doesn't matter." She finished with a sigh.

"Hm." Obviously she was hiding something. Not that he cared. But that program was interesting. _Enough of that, you've got more important things to do than watch some stupid girl make an amateur program._ Kaiba chastised himself.

With a final glance back over her shoulder, Florence looked back at her program. Well, it was interesting to know that the notorious Seto Kaiba actually did communicate on the rare occasion. Allowing a smirk to spread across her face, she focused back on her program… Kaiba had given her inspiration for a new antagonist…

* * *

**April's POV**

April walked from the last lesson with Joey, glad that the bell had rung and the day was over – finally. On the way to the school gates, Joey introduced the girl to his friend Tristan who had said a brief 'hi' before dashing off to meet a pretty brunette who had just appeared from an adjoining corridor.

Puzzled, April watched as Joey's eyebrows lowered into a frown of disapproval while Tristan talked animatedly to the pretty girl. A slight wave of disappointment washed over her. Could it be that Joey fancied the brunette?

Joey's fists clenched as Tristan playfully reached out to touch the girl's shoulder and she blushed a pleasant red before giggling. "Taylor…" Joey growled. Enough was enough.

The blond roughly fought his way through a surging crowd of students in an attempt to reach his friend and the girl. April followed, unsure what to do, but at the same time torn towards Joey.

"Get your dirty paws off my sister, Taylor!" Joey yelled once he was close enough.

So that was it! April smiled in relief. The girl was Joey's sister. And apparently he was very protective of her.

As if timed, another voice entered the fray. "I was under the impression that _you_ were the mutt, Wheeler."

Kaiba.

Joey swept around immediately, unsure whether he wanted to punch Tristan for touching his sister, or hit Kaiba for insulting him.

He chose the latter option. "Watch it Kaiba! If I were you I'd get myself a new deck 'cause next time we duel moneybags, you're goin' down!" Joey shouted back to the tall brunet.

Kaiba looked mildly amused. As if. "Get back to the zoo where you belong, Wheeler." He replied casually, agitating the hot-headed teenager even further. Kaiba smirked as Joey lunged towards him but was pushed back by the throng of people separating them.

"Why dat…" Joey fumed, he hated the arrogant CEO. Kaiba sent one last look of disdain in the blonde's direction before parting the crowd before him and heading towards the exit.

"Don't blow a fuse Joey. He can't help being a jerk." Tristan supplied helpfully, glad that Joey had seemingly forgotten the reason for walking over in the first place.

Joey's head snapped around. "You touched my sister." He remembered conveniently.

April couldn't help but smile as a look of horror appeared on Tristan's face before he dodged Joey's swipe and ducked through the crowd. She exchanged glances with the weary brunette who tiresomely rolled her eyes.

"He's at it again, first Kaiba, then Tristan…" She sighed then spared a smile for April.

"Hi." The teenager said shyly.

"Hey, I'm Serenity, and that dork over there's my brother Joey."

April nodded. "Yeah, he was in my computer class."

"Oh dear, he didn't make you do everything for him, did he?" She asked as if this was an everyday occurrence. Seeing April's enquiring expression, Serenity elaborated. "He's always like that, he does it to everyone."

"Well…not really…" April paused to correct herself. "Not much."

Serenity sighed in exasperation then reached down for her bag. "You gonna come out or have you got detention?" She asked, a bright concern, not dissimilar to Joey's, glittering in her eyes.

"No… I mean, yes I'd like to come, and no I haven't got detention." The girls smiled at one another for a moment, recognizing a similarity between each other. Carefully, they weaved through the bustling corridor and emerged into the bright sunlight and a gentle breeze which ran soft fingers through their hair.

April breathed in contentedly; glad to finally be outside of the large building. Her happiness was short lived as she recognized a familiar blonde teenager having a heated conversation with a tall brunet by the school gates.

"Oh no…" Sending a quick wave to Serenity, April mouthed something similar to 'troublesome siblings' over her shoulder before running towards her sister.

Florence stood, eyebrows joined in a frown, hands laid aggressively on her hips and green eyes burning with a ferocious glare as she squared up to the arrogant CEO.

"You're insufferable. Did you know that?" She told him indignantly.

Kaiba smirked and leaned back against the pillar behind him looking smugly indifferent. Judging by their positions, April deduced that the brunet must have once again provoked her sister.

"Maybe you should just watch where you're going, Driver." Kaiba replied in an ice-cold, calm voice, his blue eyes sparkled with an intensity that equalled Florence's. April smiled, realising that her sister had finally met her match…

_Like I said, she hardly needs me anymore…_

"Maybe one day I'll see things from your point of view, but I don't think I'll ever get my head that far up my ass!" Florence bit back. This was unusual. She must be really fired up because normally the blonde never insulted people so strongly; normally she was unshakeable.

Unimpressed, Kaiba simply glared back at her, then fixed his cerulean gaze on the crowd of observers, daring them to speak. He sent one last scornful look at the teenager before sweeping past with a barely audible comment.

"Insult me again Driver, and I will make sure you get suspended from this school," Her green glare met his icy blue one. "And don't assume for one minute that I can't." He added as a final touch.

That was intimidating enough. Without a backwards glance, Kaiba strode indifferently through the school gates before climbing in his limo and slamming the door shut behind him.

"What an arrogant jerk!" April announced from Florence's side as her sister watched the vehicle depart with narrowed eyes, then she lowered her voice slyly, unable to resist the temptation to tease the older teen. "But you so blatantly _like _him…"

"I do _not!_" Florence snapped furiously, turning away to hide an inexplicable pink tinge which had risen to her cheeks. Luckily, Joey chose that moment to call April over so Florence was saved from a potentially embarrassing situation.

Fortunately the crowd which had gathered to watch the teen's confrontation with Kaiba had now dissipated leaving a few people mulling around absently while a steady stream of students poured from the school and out of the gates.

April smiled at the waiting Joey, wondering why he had called her over.

"Your sister sure gets flamed up about rich-boy!" Joey commented admiringly. Apparently Florence had somehow heard his praise and turned her glare on the quailing Joey. However, her expression softened slightly as she noticed a short, spiky-haired boy make his way towards her.

"Yeah, certainly seems that way." April agreed, "So…?"

Realising that the girl was waiting for him to explain the reason he had called her over, Joey raised a hand to run it nervously through his hair. "Well, ya know I said I'd help ya find your parents?" He asked, sounding slightly embarrassed.

April nodded, a smile working its way back onto her face.

"Well I thought maybe dis weekend ya'd like to… I dunno, hang out? See what we can find?" Joey avoided April's eyes as a light blush worked its way onto his face.

April's smile widened into a grin and her eyes sparkled happily. "I'd love to Joey!"

_Perhaps I am needed after all…_


	10. Memory Lane

Florence bowed politely to greet Yugi who easily returned the gesture with a smile before initiating a conversation with a breathy: "Hi Florence, how are you? I didn't see you at lunch."

Florence nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry Yugi, I've just been so worried about my sister lately…" She trailed off, her gaze involuntarily wandering to April's turned back as she continued her conversation with the animated blonde boy…what was his name again…?

"She'll be fine Florence, especially with Joey." Yugi smiled up at Florence who remained doubtful to say the least. Tactfully deciding to change the subject, Yugi cast his eyes to the school gates where a long black limo had been stationed only moments before. "So what's with you and Kaiba?"

Florence directed her eyes back to meet Yugi's inquiring violet ones. She had to stop worrying about her sister… even though something wasn't right.

"Not a lot except he's a total jerk." Florence announced venomously.

Yugi couldn't resist laughing at the way she appeared to despise Kaiba. "Well…" He started, "he seems that way, but me and Yami just think he's lonely."

_Lonely, my ass!_ Florence thought, a momentary glare disfiguring her face before being replaced with a vague, unconvincing smile. "Hmm… well I'm not so sure…" She paused thoughtfully, brushing her messy fringe away from her eyes. "So are _you_ a friend of Kaiba's then?"

Yugi paled slightly, shaking his head vigorously. "No. Kaiba doesn't consider anyone worth his time except himself and his little brother. He's too obsessed with work for anything else. But Kaiba…" Yugi frowned slightly. "Well, let's just say I'm not one of Kaiba's favourite people."

Puzzled, Florence met Yugi's gaze. "What do you-?"

Florence broke off upon feeling a gentle touch on her arm. Spinning around, she met her sister's doe-brown eyes. Her eyebrows rose an undetectable amount as she noticed a dark tinge colouring her sister's brown cheeks.

Grinning merrily up at her sister, April removed her hand from Florence's shoulder, briefly trailing her eyes over her sibling's short companion. _Ha! Another candidate! _She thought in amusement.

"Florence," She began, fixing her eyes back on her sister's own, "are you going to head back now with Joey and I or are you going with your friend?"

Florence paused for a moment in thought. Although her sister appeared to want her older sibling to join her, the opinion was apparently not shared by the red-faced blonde who shifted nervously from one foot to another behind her. On the other hand, Florence wanted to finish talking to Yugi. The conversation had just begun to get interesting. Fortunately, she was saved the hardship of a decision by a strong calming voice cutting through her thoughts.

"Why don't we all walk together?" Yugi suggested. Florence immediately felt suspicious. Glancing at the spiky haired boy out of the corner of her eye, she registered his change in personality. As she had suspected, she was no longer accompanied by Yugi, but his alter-ego and spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, Yami.

Florence turned to Yami. There was no doubt about it, she realised, he even _looked _taller. Yami surely was a separate person from Yugi.

The blonde girl nodded at the spirit, silently welcoming him to their exchange, "That's a great idea, thank you Yugi."

A small frown momentarily creased April's brow. Why was her sister acting so strangely? Her thoughts were distracted by a soft breeze that crept stealthily across the tarmac ground, sweeping crisp brown leaves to dance playfully around the four teenager's ankles, silently heralding autumn's arrival.

_That was a point, _April suddenly remembered as the company strode over the carpet of brown and red while maintaining friendly banter, _it'll soon be Florence's birthday… 17…_ She couldn't believe it. It still seemed that only yesterday that she and Florence had met one another.

…..

_April remembered the day still clearly as a memory from the present day. It was not something that faded easily._

_She remembered the terror as she waited alone on the cold plastic chair. The way it dragged at her skin exposed by the ragged, orphanage-issued shorts. She was skinny as a rake. April had lived in the orphanage as long as she remembered. There was only life in the orphanage. In fact, for all she knew, she had been born in the orphanage._

_As the small girl waited, she winced, rubbing her arm from the bruising spreading from her shoulder to her elbow. Yesterday the kids had teased her too far. Again. So she had struck out at them only to receive a beating for her efforts. But it was only normal. They always teased her for her skin colour and the way she was always the last parents looked at when searching for a child to adopt._

_But not today._

_She supposed that was why they had beaten her so bad._

_April's head snapped up upon hearing footsteps. Her heart pounded. Could it be…? Was it them…?_

_No. Just another orphanage teacher who glared down at the scruffily dressed orphan, hoping to be rid of another parentless child. April watched the teacher's back retreat, kicking her feet absently, bored by the lack of entertainment in the cold, empty hallway._

_How long would she be waiting? Forever? Perhaps they would never come. Perhaps it was just a cruel trick…_

_Suddenly a conflict of voices made April glance down the hallway._

_A young blonde girl accompanied by two adults strode down the hall. The girl had her arms crossed firmly across her chest, dark eyebrows drawn in a frown which so closely resembled her present self._

"_But __**why**__? Why do I need a stupid sister?" She whined unhappily, dragging at her parent's unyielding hands. Suddenly the blonde girl looked ahead, meeting April's dark eyes._

_April automatically returned her gaze to her lap, pretending she hadn't heard. It was better that way._

_The blonde child lapsed into silence. Her upper lip pouting as she sulkily followed her parents._

"_Hello. Are you April?" A soft voice asked gently. April paused. Should she react? What was she supposed to do?_

_Finally, she lifted her doe eyes to meet a pair of kind, sparkling emerald ones._

"_Hello sweetie." Said the woman beside the gentle, green-eyed man. She extended her hand sympathetically and caught April's brown fingers within her own._

"_Yes… my name's April." April replied finally, meeting the woman's concerned blue eyes before flicking back to the man's sparkling emerald. Bracing herself, the small girl asked the inevitable question: "Are you going to adopt me?"_

_The adults straightened up and exchanged a glance, then a nod before smiling down at the small girl, ignoring the small blonde girl's resumed protests. "Yes. Yes we are."_

_April smiled the widest grin she could muster. It was a long time since she had smiled, and this was the happiest moment in her life._

"_Thank you…" She whispered._

_With those words, the emerald-eyed man stooped down and lifted April's cold, frail form onto his shoulders as if she weighed no more than a feather._

_April knew then, from the warmth of his shoulders and the expression of grudging acceptance on her new sister's face, that this was where she belonged._

…...

"Hey April. What about ya?" The Brooklyn accent abruptly jolted April from her memories and back to the land of the living. Dragging her gaze from the ground, her dark eyes still slightly unfocused, April lifted her gaze to meet the blonde boy's concerned expression.

"Sorry Joey. I spaced out. What were you saying?" April glanced over at her sister, half-expecting her to be smirking at her younger sibling's usual disconnected attitude. But to her pleasant surprise, Florence and the tri-coloured hair boy were walking separately from herself and Joey, engaged within deep conversation, their expressions serious but their eyes sparkling.

"I said do ya like duelling April?" Joey repeated, unsure whether to be amused or frustrated by the short girl's short attention span.

"Me? No, not really." April finally replied, drawing her gaze away from Florence and her companion to meet Joey's liquid brown eyes. Seeing the blonde boy's slightly disappointed expression, she added, "But with a fanatic like my sister in the house, I can't help but know a bit thought I'm not very good. Florence is the champion duellist of our family."

With the word 'family' April's heart sank once again as she remembered the events of the past few days, what with the dreams about her real parents. It wasn't as if she had really even thought about them before… but now… now everything had changed.

"Ya know what they call me?" Joey bumbled on obliviously, "Jumpin' Joey Wheeler, almost-finalist of Duellist Kingdom! Of course Yuge's da real champ!" The blonde paused in his rant, sensing April's discomfort. Glancing down at his shorter companion, Joey felt a pang of guilt upon noticing her upset expression. Instinctively, the boy reached out a comforting hand and laid it gently on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry if I upset ya April. I was just askin' ya about duelling." He bent down slightly to look into April's dark, slightly moist eyes.

The younger girl lifted her arm and quickly wiped her glistening eyes on her sleeve to prevent tears from falling before meeting Joey's half-concerned and half-horrified gaze.

What had he done to upset her so much? What had he said? Aww heck!

Leaving the assuring heat of Joey's hand on her shoulder, April finally spoke up: "Thanks Joey. I'm alright just still coming to terms with everything." She managed to smile weakly at the worried blonde.

Upon feeling a piercing glare burning into the side of her head, April suddenly glanced over to her right. Florence was sending invisible daggers. Mystified by her sister's sudden venom, April glanced around for the source of the problem. Realisation hit her as the warm pressure on her shoulder lifted slightly. Joey's hand was on her arm. And Florence looked like she was about to start a murder spree.

April gently nudged Joey in silent warning. Immediately looking in every direction like an animal hunted by a dangerous predator, Joey attempted to identify what was bothering his short friend. As his gaze fell on Florence, the blonde recoiled from having received a full blast of the older sister's toast-burning glare.

Snatching his hand back from April's shoulder as if his fingers had been scorched by the ferocity of the blonde girl's glare, Joey hastily moved several steps back and fixed a sheepish expression on his face.

Sending wary glances at Florence out of the corner of his eye, Joey was strongly reminded of his nemesis. _Just like rich-boy. _He noted as April continued to walk beside him in silence.

However, as icy as she seemed, Yugi – or was that Yami? – seemed to have no problem in communicating with her. In fact, if Joey had been slightly more observant he would have noticed that his friend had more than a passing interest in the girl.

…..

Yami found her fascinating. He couldn't throw off the feeling that there was something familiar about her. In fact, his curiosity was so great that he had enquired whether he could take Yugi's place, just this once, so he could discover more about this intriguing, tight-lipped teenager.

"How long have you been duelling for?" Yami asked quietly, his deep purple eyes following the spots of shadow cast on Florence's hair by the dappled light pouring down from the trees above as they walked beneath the numerous varieties.

"Oh, a long time. Certainly years. In England…" She trailed off, turning silent for a moment as she longingly remembered her homeland. England was the one and only home she knew. And she missed it. Perhaps more than anyone would ever know.

Drawing her gaze up from the leaf-covered ground, Florence found herself sinking into a pair of mesmerising, deep violet eyes. Jolting out of her reverie and throwing her feelings aside, a light blush crawled across the blonde girl's cheeks before she broke his gaze and continued.

"In England I won my fair share of competitions and dragged my sister along to watch a fair few." She smiled at the memory then looked back at April… her sister.

…..

_Florence remembered the time, oh-so-long ago, when she had despised her sister. She hated the way she had invaded her house. Used her toys, and worst of all, stolen her parents. But everything changed the day Florence turned 11._

_Florence had finished her lessons early and was grumbling under her breath about how much she hated school. It was pointless. The kids were pathetic and she was above all their boring make-up, silly dolls, girly pink clothes and petty quarrels._

_School, in Florence's point of view, was just a nuisance and completely unnecessary._

_She remained in her state of gloomy thoughts until a scream broke through her thoughts. Curious to see the cause of the commotion, the blonde girl rushed towards the school, ducking behind the trees to find the shaded spot hidden behind the dry green._

_Florence's eyes widened upon registering the scene in front of her: three of the youths from her year were standing in a triangle, leering down at their trapped victim who was penned in by their human barrier. The figure huddled between the boys was a girl – judging by the skirt which was bunched around her knees – she was curled into a protective ball, one hand grasping the other around her tightly clamped legs, attempting to stunt the boys' advances._

'_You're different. You ent got no parents.' One of the boys announced, prodding the huddled girl's body, resulting in his cronies' cruel cackling._

_Another stepped forth, snorting with laughter as he added his own insult: 'Yeah. That's right. You don't look like us neither.' He enforced his point with a harder prod, this time at the figure's head, causing the curled up, pitiful creature to flinch away with a muffled yelp._

'_Go __**home. **__We don't __**want**__ you here!' The last of the three concluded, suddenly lunging forward to shove the girl's frail form so hard that she unrolled from her protective cocoon and gripped the floor for support, her knuckles white as she turned her tear-filled, doe-brown eyes to meet the laughing boys' in a glare._

_Florence felt a surge of anger as she watched the scene. How __**dare **__they? Cowardly, pathetic, lowlifes! Not only were they teasing a person about their skin colour, their appearance, but also their parents. And worst of all, that person happened to be her sister!_

_Before the three bullies had chance to register her presence, Florence lunged forwards and slammed a fist into the nearest boy's face before pouncing on the other two and fearlessly tackling them to the ground with several well-aimed punches._

_Luckily for her, Florence was surprisingly strong and agile for her age, and within moments the three boys fled, clasping their hands to bleeding scrapes and broken noses, cowering away from Florence's burning, emerald glare._

'_C'mon April. Let's go.' She said gruffly, helping her trembling sister to her feet and brushing the dirt off her dusty uniform._

…

_Of course, her actions hadn't gone without consequences. The following day Florence and April were landed in an office with a volatile, bellowing headmaster._

_Aware of her sister's current state, Florence hastily interrupted the headmaster's rant and confessed that the situation was entirely her fault – April had simply been an innocent bystander._

_After all, what was the point in arguing with someone who wouldn't listen?_

_As a result, Florence had been suspended for a week and received more than a fair share of detentions._

_When the headmaster had delivered her sister's punishment, hissing: 'Don't do it again or you__** will**__ be expelled!' April turned to her sister who still bore a small collection of cuts from the events of the previous day._

'_Thank you.' She said shyly._

_Avoiding April's eyes, Florence grunted in response. 'What are sisters for?'_

_April didn't reply and simply directed her gaze on the ground beneath her feet, swearing a silent pledge: if Florence was ever in trouble, she would help her in return._

_Unfortunately, when that time came, there wasn't a thing she could do…_

…_.._

Yami gazed at Florence, desperately trying to guess what she was thinking. To no avail.

_Seems like there is more to her than first appears._ Yami commented to Yugi's spirit form.

Yugi's transparent figure nodded. _She's more talkative with you Yami. Maybe you can find out more. Maybe she could help you find the key to unlock your past._

Yami smiled at the shorter boy's spirit form. They were like brothers. Identical brothers at that.

_Thank you Yugi. You are right. We shall see what destiny has in store for us._

With a final grin and a nod, Yugi's ghost-like figure disappeared once more into the Millennium Puzzle. Turning back to Florence's pensive, unseeing gaze, Yami finally broke the silence between them.

"You seem very close to your sister." He commented as the blonde raised her head upon hearing his calm, soothing voice.

"I am." Florence paused for a moment, another long silence lingered in the air between them until she finally chose to break it: "What about you? When did you learn to duel?" She asked, remembering their previous conversation.

Yami's deep purple eyes darkened slightly and his eyebrows joined in a frown. "I don't know. So much of my past is clouded…" He paused thoughtfully, deciding whether to release some of the little information he had about his past. "Perhaps… perhaps I learnt when I entered Duellist Kingdom."

"Duellist Kingdom?" Florence repeated, nonplussed. She'd heard of a lot of duelling tournaments, but never this one. But perhaps that was unsurprising as she had been living in England for most of her life. Not Japan.

Yami's eyes widened momentarily. She didn't know about Duellist Kingdom? Well, she'd only moved to Domino recently, he supposed. Returning his shocked features to a more normal expression, Yami elaborated.

"Yes. A tournament hosted by the creator of Duel Monsters, Maximillion Pegasus. After beating Kaiba, I received an invitation," Pensively, Yami raised a hand to push away one of his spiky blonde bangs, revealing a dark look that momentarily marred his handsome features. "of sorts."

"You beat Kaiba?" Florence gave an unladylike snort to Yami's alarm. "No wonder you're not his biggest pal." She tried to imagine how Kaiba must have felt to be beaten at one of his biggest interests. _Pretty damn annoyed. Serves his big head right!_ "So who won the competition in the end then?"

Yami smiled mysteriously, his deep, sparkling purple eyes piercing Florence's emerald green orbs.

A dawning realisation grew on the blonde teenager. Could it possibly be that her spiky-haired, enigmatic friend was one of the best duellists in Japan, if not, the best?

The conversation was cut short as the four students finally reached the street which lead to the girls' house. Reluctantly drawing her eyes from Yami's dark, penetrating gaze, Florence glanced towards her sister.

A scowl appeared on the blonde girl's face.

_Alright Wheeler. I warned you once… you are __**so **__dead._ Florence thought ferociously as she noticed the blonde boy's proximity to her sister and his hand once again on her shoulder. Just as she began to stride towards the doomed blonde and her younger sibling, a strong hand gently, but firmly, gripped her forearm, wheeling her back around to be transfixed by a pair of endless purple orbs.

"I –" Yami cleared his throat. "Thank you for walking down with me… Florence." He said her name softly, sending an inexplicable shiver down her spine as he continued to gaze shamelessly into her emerald-green eyes.

After a few long moments, the grip loosened and Florence quickly moved away, a dark blush staining her cheeks. Why was she like this? She was _never _like this!

Yami watched in a mystified silence as Florence's back retreated. What did he do wrong? He continued to observe as the blonde approached her sister and Joey with her hands set aggressively on her hips and a murderous expression on her face.

Once more, Yami wondered why he felt this connection with her. This bond. He almost jumped in surprise as Yugi appeared beside him without warning, raising an eyebrow at his doppelganger.

_Hey Yami_. He greeted, _So what's the deal with you and Florence?_ The shorter boy asked, unable to prevent a slight hint of resentment from entering his voice.

_Nothing Yugi. It's just I feel a connection through her to my past._ Yami replied cryptically, concealing his confusion of swirling thoughts deep within the endless chasm of his own mind. At least that way Yugi wouldn't stumble upon them by accident when they shared minds.

_Okay, want me to take over now?_

Yami nodded, still pensive as he stepped aside, his figure becoming transparent as Yugi re-entered his body. The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle had a lot to think about now.

…

Florence marched over to where April and Joey stood; cheeks aflame as they gazed into one another's eyes and their hands so close they were almost touching. Wait, _were _touching.

Sensing another presence, the two looked up in unison, breaking one another's gaze and their smiles fading rapidly to expressions of worry, and in Joey's case, fear.

The sisters' eyes met for a brief moment before Florence lunged out to grab the front of Joey's shirt, yanking the tall blonde boy around to face her.

"Wha-?" He shouted in confusion before being cut off by a fearsome glare from the older of the Driver sisters.

Florence lowered her voice to a threatening, almost inaudible, whisper: "A word to the wise Wheeler, touch my sister again, and you'll regret even being _born._" She hard resisted the temptation to smirk as the blonde boy gulped and attempted to evade the girl's burning green glare. "Don't lay your dirty paws on her again."

With one last jerk, Florence released Joey who promptly stumbled away faster than she thought was physically possible.

In moments, the teenage boy had disappeared around the corner of the street, leaving Yugi, who had watched the entire event, open-mouthed and awestruck.

_Remind me to never get on her wrong side._ Yugi commented to his counterpart's ghost-like form.

The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle lifted his head at the comment and glanced at the scene. Yami smirked.

…

April turned, hands on hips, to confront her glowering sister.

Sparing a glance for her unusually ferocious sibling, Florence paused, the glare rapidly falling from her face.

"Florence, what's the big idea? He was my friend and you scared him away!" April shouted indignantly, her frustration only growing as her sister appeared to ignore her and continued walking in the direction of their house.

"Looked like he had a bit more than friendship on his mind to me." Florence muttered as her sister caught her up. She realised now that maybe she shouldn't have reacted so dramatically, yet… she was only trying to protect her sister.

"So what?" April demanded fiercely, stepping in front of Florence to block her path, forcing her sister to look directly into her accusing eyes, "What if I did want something more than friendship?"

Steadily holding her sister's gaze, Florence sighed and laid a hand on her younger sibling's shoulder. "I just don't want to see you hurt… like I was. Sure, it only happened once, but that can be enough to affect you for months…_years_ even. I don't want you to have to feel that pain… on top of everything else."

April shrugged off her sister's hand. "But it's not about what you want!" She replied bitterly, glaring one last time at Florence before striding away and leaving her sister alone and pensive.

…………………..


End file.
